Travel News • Travel Tech

Your iPhone Will Soon Be Your ID for Getting Through TSA

4 years ago
4 Comments
by Charlie
a phone with a screen showing a security administration
Written by Charlie

Starting later this year, you can use your iPhone for your ID to get through TSA at the airport! Find out how this will work and when it is coming!

Apple kicked off their WWDC (their developer’s conference) today and there are a bunch of new things coming to software updates this year! One of the things that will be good news for any and all iPhone users is the ability to keep your ID right in your iPhone – and it will be good enough to get through the TSA!

iPhone Wallet Can Be Your ID for TSA and More

I know – people will feel nervous about having their ID on their phone but Apple has said that this new feature for keeping your ID will be the same safety technology that is used to keep your credit cards safe. That’s because your ID will be kept in your Apple Wallet, just one more step towards eliminating the actual wallet and letting you keep all your wallet contents (except cash!) right on your iPhone.

a cell phone with a photo of a man's face

This is all part of iOS 15 which will launch with a public beta in the next month and the actual official rollout in mid-September. It will be around that same time that the TSA will be setup to start letting you use your ID as a way to get through without having to use your actual ID. This will be for driver’s licenses and other ID cards.

This is great news since it means one less thing to have out of your pocket in a busy airport. Now, you can have everything you need right on your iPhone – your e-ticket and your ID. Just use that to supply the necessary information. And, your iPhone will notify you about what information is needed and being accessed by the TSA.

Apple will also be adding more parts to the wallet, including the ability to have your hotel key for 1,000 Hyatt properties later this year.

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About the author

Charlie

Charlie has been an avid traveler and runner for many years. He has run in marathons around the world for less than it would cost to travel to the next town - all as a result of collecting and using miles and points. Over the years, he has flown hundreds of thousands of miles and collected millions of miles and points.
Now he uses this experience and knowledge to help others through Running with Miles.

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4 Comments

  • That sounds pretty nice in theory but I think it’ll be faster to just use the phone for the ticket and the physical id. Having to show your id on your phone then switch to the boarding pass sounds like it’ll be at least a few seconds longer. And having multiple children boarding passes can be kind of cumbersome with a phone. But as a backup for physical id, this sounds great. I’ve always been concerned that one day i’ll lose my wallet and not be able to fly back home without id.

    • Good points – I do think that they could incorporate the ID into the boarding pass or vice versa. Being Apple, they will likely come up with some way to simplify it. But, if not, like you, I do like the ability to have it as a backup.

  • Hopefully this will mean not having to show a boarding pass any longer. I’ve gone through TSA in Boston a few times only scanning my drivers license bar code.