Oklahoma Becomes the 16th State to Put Driver’s Licences in Apple Wallet

Oklahoma residents can now add a driver’s licence or state ID to Apple Wallet on iPhone and Apple Watch, making the state the sixteenth in the US to support the credential.

It joins Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia. The feature also runs in Puerto Rico and works with Japan’s My Number Card. Apple has been preparing launches in North Carolina and Utah in the coming months, and named Connecticut, Kentucky and Mississippi as committed some years ago.

Setup runs through the Wallet app: users tap the plus sign, select driver’s licence and ID cards, choose Oklahoma and follow the enrolment steps. The credential can be added to an iPhone or an Apple Watch, and it sits alongside the physical licence rather than replacing it.

Presenting the credential means tapping the iPhone or Apple Watch on an identity reader. The device then displays the specific information the Transportation Security Administration or a business has requested, and that information is released only after the holder authorises with Face ID or Touch ID. The phone is not unlocked, shown or handed over.

Acceptance is the limiting factor. Apple Wallet IDs work at TSA checkpoints in more than 250 US airports for domestic travel, and in Oklahoma that covers Tulsa International, Will Rogers International in Oklahoma City, Stillwater Regional and Lawton-Fort Sill Regional. Acceptance can vary by airport, terminal and checkpoint, and the number of businesses taking the credential remains small.

Over-the-counter age checks come next. Lori Carter, assistant director of the Oklahoma Alcoholic Beverage Laws Enforcement Commission, said the agency is working with Service Oklahoma to prepare alcohol establishments and tobacco and nicotine retailers to accept the credential from 14 September.

Verification on the merchant side runs through Oklahoma Reader, a free app for compatible devices that needs no additional hardware. Service Oklahoma says it shares only the requested information, and does not collect or store customer data or keep a record of verification transactions. Apple positions the Wallet ID as a companion to the physical card rather than a replacement, and Oklahoma tells residents to keep carrying the physical credential, including while driving.

Apple confirmed in August that the feature would reach four more states, and Virginia went live later that month.

Sources: MacRumors, News On 6, KOSU

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By the ID Tech Editorial Team