The growth of digital ID program adoptions throughout the country continues, and the latest to announce their support for the program to make it available to their constituents is Illinois with a new partnership with Apple. Soon, the state's IDs will be available on the app for users to access, holding Apple Wallet's technology in high regard, and is set to debut later this year for all.
Earlier this year, Illinois also adopted new legislation in the state that allows users to get digital ID cards and driver's licenses, and part of this is its work to bring over these copies to Apple Wallet.
Illinois Is The Latest State to Adopt Apple Wallet Digital ID
Illinois' Secretary Alexi Giannoulias announced earlier today that the state is adopting the use of digital IDs in the state, and effective this January 1, his office is already issuing digital versions of their state IDs and driver's licenses.Alongside this, the Secretary of State announced that Illinois will also adopt Apple Wallet's digital ID technology to be available on iPhones and Apple Watches.
Secretary Giannoulias also praised Apple Wallet's technology as "the best mobile ID program in the nation," claiming that Cupertino's service offers top-notch data security for their users.
Moreover, the Secretary of State claimed that their digital ID adoption is a "multi-faceted approach" towards delivering a new program featuring its "state-of-the-art mobile driver's license and state ID" together with its Apple Wallet adoption.
Here's How to Sign Up on Illinois' Digital ID Program
For now, the Apple Wallet support for Illinois' digital ID program is not yet here as it will be available by the end of 2025, with its specific release date yet to be announced by Cupertino and the state. However, Illinois residents may now apply to get digital IDs on the Secretary of State's website which will be available later in the year, with the state to notify them of the forthcoming developments.
Apple Wallet Grows Digital ID Partnership in the US
The list of adopters of Apple Wallet's digital ID program is continuing to grow in the United States as well as other nations outside the country, where there is already a total of 11 who have partnered with the company's technology. This was first introduced by Cupertino almost three years ago via iOS 15.4, with Arizona being among the earliest to partner with the company on this digitalized venture.
Its popularity grew among different states that focused on a similar experience for their citizens to take advantage of, with the likes of California, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Maryland, New Mexico, and Ohio already supporting it. Outside the United States, several countries have also adopted the technology with the likes of Puerto Rico and Japan to be among the earliest to do so.
The world is highly reliant on their smartphones for almost every process in their life, and this has been one of the most important items for users to bring with them when going out, as wallets are already integrated into these devices. Digital IDs are already being adopted in different parts of the country, with Apple Wallet's service being among the top there is, and Illinois soon making it available via the iPhones later this year.
