CHICAGO (WLS) — Beginning this Wednesday, Illinois residents who use iPhones will have the ability to display their ID electronically on their devices, including at airports.

Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias described this innovation as transformative for individuals who need to present identification at locations like airports, facilitating a smoother passage through TSA checkpoints.

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Starting Wednesday morning, Illinois will appear in the selection menu under the “driver’s license and ID cards” category within Apple Wallet.

Consequently, Apple enthusiasts can now integrate their Illinois driver’s license or ID into their iPhone or Apple Watch.

The option for Android users to utilize this mobile ID feature will be available at a later date, according to state officials.

People can tap their phone if a business or venue needs their ID, just like the “tap to pay feature.”

“For anyone who has left the house without (a) wallet, today changes everything,” Giannoulias said. “The Illinois driver’s license and wallet take advantage of privacy and security features already built into Apple Watch to help protect against tampering and theft.”
But you can’t totally ditch your physical ID.

Not all businesses or law enforcement agencies are required to accept the mobile version, so you still need to carry around your physical IDs.

While officials say the technology keeps personal data safe and secure, some cybersecurity experts say security challenges remain around the database, if information is stolen.

“The real challenge is how the database is going to be protected because there is a lot of information going there,” Maurice Dawson, IIT cybersecurity expert, said. “You have, for those who need to prove that they are a U.S. citizen, to get the star on their ID, they have to provide certain documents. All of that information is stored and it’s going to be used on that particular database,”

Illinois joins 12 other states and Puerto Rico to offer a mobile ID.

How to use Mobile ID

To present an ID in person, users can go to Apple Wallet and select their Illinois driver’s license and state ID.

It would work similar as the “Tap to Pay” feature.

Users will the hold their iPhone or Apple Watch near an identity reader, review the specific information being requested, and use Face ID or Touch ID to authenticate.

Users may need to update their phone or restart it before seeing Illinois on the dropdown menu.