Updated

Updated · PCMag UK · Aug 10

21 U.S. States and Territories Support Digital IDs on Apple, Google and Samsung Wallets

Updated

Updated · PCMag UK · Aug 10

21 U.S. States and Territories Support Digital IDs on Apple, Google and Samsung Wallets

Q: If your phone holds your passport, what happens to your identity if the battery dies at a TSA checkpoint?

If your phone dies at a TSA checkpoint, your digital passport or mobile ID is effectively unavailable at that moment, and TSA can require you to use a physical ID instead. The programs now rolling out through Apple, Google and Samsung are meant as a convenience for identity checks at supported checkpoints, not as a replacement for a passport book, state ID or REAL ID-compliant document. That is why official guidance consistently says travelers should still carry their physical passport or driver’s license even if they have added a digital version to a wallet app. Support is uneven by airport and lane, and a dead battery means you may not be able to present the credential at all. A dead phone can also create a separate screening problem. TSA officers may ask travelers to power on electronic devices during security screening. If a phone cannot be turned on, it may face additional inspection or secondary screening, which can slow you down and, in some cases, risk missing a flight. In practical terms, your identity does not disappear when the battery dies, but your easiest proof of it might. The workaround is simple: keep the physical document with you, charge your phone before heading to the airport, and carry a power bank if you rely on mobile boarding passes or wallet-based ID. Digital ID is best treated as a backup or speed tool, not your only form of identification.

3 articles · Updated · PCMag UK · Aug 10

Twenty-one U.S. states and territories now let users store digital driver’s licenses or IDs on at least one major mobile wallet, with 15 supporting Apple Wallet, 11 Google Wallet and eight Samsung Wallet.
Those digital IDs can speed passage through more than 250 supported TSA checkpoints, but they do not replace physical credentials and are not a substitute for the Real ID required for U.S. domestic flights.
Setup requires scanning the physical ID or a passport chip, then completing a face-photo or video identity check before the issuing authority approves the credential.
Device support is narrower for passports than licenses: Apple requires at least an iPhone 11 for passports, while Android support starts at Android 9 and Samsung passport IDs need newer devices and software.
Use remains limited outside select airports and regions, though Apple, Google and Samsung say ID data stays on the device unless the user chooses to share it.