Technologies

Your iPhone Can Replace Your Physical Driver’s License, if You Live in One of These States

Your Face ID-authenticated digital driver’s license feels futuristic, and it’s legal in some US states.

Getting through airport security can be one of the most stressful parts of travel, but Apple is trying to streamline the process with a new digital ID feature. In select states, you can now add your driver’s license or state ID to Apple Wallet on your iPhone or Apple Watch. That means no more fumbling for your wallet at Transportation Security Administration checkpoints — just tap your device, and you’re good to go.

It’s a convenient upgrade if you live in one of the supported states and have a compatible iPhone. I tested the feature in California, and the setup process was surprisingly simple. Just keep in mind that you’ll need an iPhone 8 or newer running the right version of iOS, and depending on your state’s rollout, some users may hit snags. Still, it’s a small tech shift that can make your travel day a whole lot smoother.

Right now, digital IDs are primarily used to go through TSA checkpoints in certain airports when flying domestically, but that’ll likely change in the future. Want to use your digital ID at your favorite bar or nightclub? We’re not there yet.

Below, I describe my experience, the hiccups I encountered on the way and things that you should know if you plan on adding your driver’s license to Apple Wallet. I’ll also break down how you can add your ID to your iPhone, step by step.

For more, don’t miss these low-key iOS 26 features we’re excited for.

These states support digital IDs on iPhones right now

Only a handful of states support digital IDs in Apple Wallet. One key factor is how each state implements its Mobile Driver’s License system. For instance, Louisiana, New York, Utah and Virginia all support mobile driver’s licenses but require separate apps for digital IDs.

States and regions that support digital IDs in Apple Wallet:

Arizona
California
Colorado
Georgia
Hawaii
Iowa
Maryland
New Mexico
Ohio
Puerto Rico

Some states originally announced to support Apple’s digital ID haven’t quite gotten there yet.

The number of states supported in Apple Wallet is about half of what the TSA currently allows. Collectively, it accepts digital IDs across Apple Wallet, Google Wallet, Samsung Wallet and state-based mobile apps in 15 states.

What are the iPhone requirements to add your driver’s license to Apple Wallet?

Where you live is just the start. You also have to have the right iPhone model and the right software setup.

Here are the minimum requirements that Apple lists:

An iPhone 8 or later with the latest version of iOS
Have Face or Touch ID enabled on your device
Have two-factor authentication enabled on your Apple account
A license or ID from a participating state or territory
Your device’s region set to the United States

I’ll have more to say in a bit about that iPhone 8 and iOS requirement and a catch I ran into.

My experience adding my ID to my iPhone was easy

For testing purposes, I used the iPhone 16E.

The process of adding the ID was simple. I scanned the front and the back of my ID and the next step was to verify my identity. This wasn’t nearly as nerve-wracking as I thought it would be. Instead, it took a live photo of my face for 2.5 seconds.

After that, more verification was required. This came in a series of different photos, with prompts directing me to close my eyes, open my mouth, smile and tip my head down. This verification process took about three minutes. (Or longer in my case, as I got distracted writing notes about the process and then found I had to restart the whole process.)

Then, after I submitted those photos, there was another verification step, presumably with the photos relayed to the California DMV. A screen message told me that I would receive a notification when there was an update. I expected this to take a long time, but not even 10 minutes later, a notification telling me that my ID was ready to use popped up. That was easy.

What about older iPhones?

So, not every phone you think might work will actually do so. The first time I tested adding my ID, I was using an iPhone 8 Plus. But when I arrived at the setup page within Apple Wallet, I was given eight states to choose from, and California wasn’t one of them.

That surprised me. I’d found a helpful Apple support article that explained the requirements for adding a driver’s license or state-issued ID to Apple Wallet and it seemed like I shouldn’t have any trouble.

At first, I thought the roadblock was that I hadn’t set up Touch ID yet. But no, California was still not on my list of eight states. (Equally confusing, a colleague of mine also tried this with an iPhone 8 and Apple Wallet only listed four states.)

I went back to the Apple support article and looked for fine print, and sure enough, there it was. I’d ignored the asterisk in the requirements, because California has had its Mobile Driver’s License program set up for some time now.

The fine print at the very bottom of the page states, «For California, ID in Apple Wallet requires iPhone XS or later with iOS 17.5 or later.» (For Puerto Rico, if you want to add your driver’s license or ID to Apple Wallet, you’ll need to have an iPhone XS or later with iOS 18.1.)

So if you’re holding onto an iPhone 8 or iPhone X and live in California, you won’t be able to add your driver’s license to your iPhone because of the lack of software support. iOS 16 is the last supported version of the operating system for iPhone 8 and X models.

How to add your ID or driver’s license to Apple Wallet

If you live in a state that supports digital IDs for Apple Wallet, it’s easy to add one. After it’s added, you’ll need to verify your identity, which can take a little longer but it’s still a straightforward process.

Open Apple Wallet.
Tap the Add button.
Tap Driver’s License or ID and select your location.
If applicable, choose whether you want to add your ID to your iPhone only or your iPhone and your Apple Watch.
Follow the steps to scan your license or ID.

(Make sure you scan your ID in a well-lit environment and that the image is in focus.)

Once it’s scanned, you’ll be prompted to confirm your identity with a selfie photo. According to Apple, you may be asked to complete a number of facial or head movements for identification purposes.

To ensure an easier verification process, Apple suggests that you:

Stand in front of a plain background with neutral, light paint.
Be in a well-lit area, ideally indoors.
Take off sunglasses, masks, hats or other accessories that could block your face.
Hold your iPhone steady.

When you’re finished, submit your information by confirming with Touch or Face ID. Your biometrics will be bound to the ID, so only you can use it.

How to transfer your digital ID to another iPhone

If you upgrade your iPhone, you’ll need to transfer your ID or driver’s license to it.

During initial setup, tap Wallet.
Select your ID.
Follow the steps.
Tap to confirm you want to move your driver’s license or ID to the new device.

So, now what?

Your digital ID isn’t just a photo of your ID that you can pull up within Apple Wallet. In fact, you don’t even see a full image of your physical ID. In order to actually view your information from your digital ID, you’ll need to tap on your ID «card» in Apple Wallet, tap the «i» at the top-right of the screen, and then tap State ID info or Card Information (the wording may be different depending on what version of iOS your iPhone is running). From there, it will show your ID photo as well as essential pieces of information from your physical ID.

TSA checkpoints that support digital IDs require a dedicated scanner, so the process may not necessarily feel like it’s faster than showing your physical ID to the agent.

Here’s a video of the process via the Maryland Department of Transportation:

The idea of a digital ID is pretty convenient but overall, it probably won’t save you a meaningful amount of time. Couple that fact with its incredibly limited use cases right now and the fact that merchant or event adoption will require investment in proper hardware and it’s pretty easy to see just how far off we are from ditching physical IDs.

Selling or trading in your iPhone? Do this first.

When you move on from a phone that has your ID on it, you’ll want to do the same thing you do with other sensitive info like credit or debit cards and passwords: Remove it.

So before you wipe your iPhone to sell or trade it in, you should manually remove your ID first. Here’s how to do it.

Go to Apple Wallet and tap your ID in the list
Tap the «i» button at the top right of the screen
Tap Remove State ID (or Driver’s License)
Read the warning that pops up and tap Remove

Digital passports are coming to Apple Wallet with iOS 26

While states are taking time to implement digital ID systems, Apple announced a feature coming in iOS 26 this year: You can add a digital passport to Apple Wallet.

When that feature is available, iPhone users will be able to scan their passports to create a digital version for identity verification during domestic travel. You won’t be able to use it for international travel and it’s not a full replacement for a physical passport (so keep your physical one on you) but it should work at the 250-plus supported TSA checkpoints.

During its WWDC keynote in June, Apple said that the digital ID made from your passport can also be used «in apps and in person» but it didn’t give any specifics.

This is essentially what can be done on Android through Google Wallet.

Verify with Wallet ID verification could make ordering alcohol easier

Also headed to iPhones this fall is an easier way for you to prove your age using your digital ID. Say you want to have a bottle of wine sent to your place via Uber Eats. Typically, when the driver arrives, you’ll need to present your ID and have it scanned to complete the transaction but with the new Verify with Wallet, your stored digital ID will be used to verify your age. (I do wonder if things might get more complicated when the delivery arrives if you’re not the one receiving it.)

Verify with Wallet will be supported by Chime, Turo, Uber Eats and U.S. Bank.

For more, don’t miss what you should know about flying domestically without a Real ID in 2025.

Technologies

Amazon Prime Is Ending Shared Free Shipping. What to Know and When It Happens

How Prime Invitee program’s end could affect your free deliveries.

If you’ve been using someone else’s Amazon Prime membership for free shipping, but you don’t live in the same house, you may need to pay another subscription fee soon. According to Amazon’s updated customer service page, the online retail giant is ending its Prime Invitee benefit-sharing program Oct. 1.

Amazon’s Prime Invitee program is being replaced by Amazon Family, as reported earlier by The Verge. It includes many of the same benefits, but Amazon Family only works for up to two adults and four children living in the same «primary residential address» — a shared home.

You’ll still be able to use free shipping to send gifts elsewhere, but your Prime Invitees will no longer be able to use the perk.

Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.

Amazon isn’t the first company to prevent membership sharing between family and friends. The e-commerce giant is just the latest to follow Netflix’s account-sharing crackdown. While it’s unclear whether this change will work for Amazon, Netflix gained over 200,000 subscribers following its policy change. We also saw a similar account-sharing crackdown with Disney Plus and YouTube Premium.

Read more: More Than Just Free Shipping: Here Are 19 Underrated Amazon Prime Perks

What the Amazon Prime shipping crackdown means for you

If you’re the beneficiary of someone else’s Prime Invitee benefits, you have one more month to take advantage of the current program before the changes take effect.

Starting in October, you’ll have to get your own Amazon Prime subscription to benefit from the company’s free shipping program. First-time subscribers get a year of Prime membership for $15, but you’ll be stuck shelling out $15 a month to maintain your subscription thereafter.

Read more: Your Free Pass to Prime Day Deals (No Membership Required)

Why is Amazon ending the Prime Invitee program?

This move follows shortly after Reuters reported that Amazon’s Prime account signups slowed down recently despite an extended July Prime Day event. While the company reported blowout sales numbers, new Prime subscriptions didn’t meet internal expectations. In the US, they fell short of last year’s signup metrics.

According to Reuters, Amazon registered 5.4 million US signups over the 21-day run-up to the Prime Day event, around 116,000 fewer than during the same period in 2024, and 106,000 below the company’s own goal, a roughly 2% decline in both metrics.

By forcing separate households to have their own subscriptions, Amazon could be looking to attract more Prime accounts after previously failing to do so.

The new Amazon Family program (previously known as Amazon Household) offers Prime benefits to up to two adults and four children in a single home, including free shipping, Prime Video, Prime Reading and Amazon Music. The subscription also includes benefits for certain third-party companies, such as GrubHub.

Impulse Buys Under $25 on Amazon That Make Surprisingly Great Gifts

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Technologies

Pokemon TCG Pocket’s Pack Points System Needs an Overhaul Yesterday

The pack-opening pity points system is pitiful. There’s a very easy way to improve it.

Pokemon TCG Pocket is more than a mobile game: It’s a money-making machine. The virtual trading card app raked in more than $900 million in its first six months, eclipsing even Pokemon Go’s revenue in the same post-release time span. As it turns out, fake Pokemon cards are just as much of a hot commodity as the real thing.

People love ripping open card packs, hunting down ones with their favorite illustrations of fan-favorite Pokemon. It feels great to beat the odds by pulling an elaborately-inked full art or a shiny secret rare. But it really starts to irk me when I’m missing only one or two cards from a set and I can’t get lucky enough to pull them out of a pack.

Pokemon TCG Pocket has a «pity points» system that’s supposed to make this feel less terrible: Every time you open a pack, you earn five pack points, which you can directly trade in for a card of your choosing.

You can trade in 35 points for a common card, but if you want to get the rarest cards from a set, they could eat up 500 points, 1,250 points or even a whopping 2,500 points each. That means you’d have to rip open 500 card packs in order to earn a single copy of one of Pokemon TCG Pocket’s rarest cards.

It sounds absurd (and it is), but that’s to be expected for a free-to-play game, especially one where the developer makes money by encouraging players to pay for extra card pulls. My real big issue with pack points is that they’re restricted to the expansion set you earned them in.

For example, I have 210 pack points for the latest card set, Secluded Springs, and I’ve been exclusively pulling those packs since it was released. I also have 700 pack points for the game’s first-ever expansion Genetic Apex — but those points are locked to Genetic Apex, and can’t be used for any other set. I’ve accrued hundreds of pack points, but they’re essentially useless to me because they won’t help me complete the sets I’m still missing cards in.

Pokemon TCG Pocket expansion sets are released on a monthly basis, which means no one really has time to earn enough pack points for a rare card before the next shiny slate of cards is dangled in front of your eyes. It propagates a desperate sense of FOMO that I’ve criticized in the past, but there’s a simple solution that would make the problem disappear overnight.

Instead of locking pack points to any one set, they should be an account-wide currency instead. Every time you earn pack points, they should be added to one large pool that you can use on any of the in-game card sets. That way, players wouldn’t have to feel a manufactured sense of guilt for ripping open packs from older sets.

While it’s customary for gacha games to have a pity system that guarantees a certain reward after a certain amount of pulls, it’s by no means a requirement for these games to have these systems. In a sense, I’m grateful that the pack points exist in Pokemon TCG Pocket in the first place.

I think we should always argue for a more consumer-friendly experience in modern gaming. Overhauling the pity system so that pack points can be used universally across all of the in-game card sets will make the game fairer and give more players a real chance to get the rarest cards.

It creates a greater sense of parity between free-to-play and paying players, and it might even cause some people to spend more money on pack openings to boot. Universal pack points are a win-win for players and DeNA alike.

Technologies

Adaptive Power in iOS 26 Could Boost Your iPhone Battery Life, but It’s Not on All Models

The new iPhone 17 models get better battery life, partly through this iOS 26 feature that is available on other iPhones, too.

When Apple announced the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone Air earlier this month, it touted improved battery life across the board and «all-day» battery for the iPhone Air, which has a physically smaller battery to fit inside its thin design. Some of that is due to physically larger batteries, but a new feature called Adaptive Power in iOS 26 is also contributing. And it’s available on any iPhone capable of running Apple Intelligence.

Currently, the iPhone uses as much power as it needs to perform its tasks. You can extend the battery life by doing a number of things, such as decreasing screen brightness and turning off the always-on display. Or, if your battery level is starting to get dire, you can activate Low Power Mode, which reduces background activity like fetching mail and downloading data in addition to those screen adjustments. Low Power Mode also kicks in automatically when the battery level reaches 20%.

Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.

If Low Power Mode is the hammer that knocks down power consumption, Adaptive Power is the scalpel that intelligently trims energy savings here and there as needed. Based on Apple’s description that accompanies the control, the savings will be felt mostly in power-hungry situations such as recording videos, editing photos or perhaps even playing games:

«When your battery usage is higher than usual, iPhone can extend your battery life by making performance adjustments, such as lowering display brightness, allowing some activities to take longer, or turning on Low Power Mode at 20%.»

Apple says Adaptive Power takes about a week to analyze your usage behavior before it begins actively working. It works in the background without needing any management on your part. The iPhone user guide describes it as follows: «It uses on-device intelligence to predict when you’ll need extra battery power based on your recent usage patterns, then makes performance adjustments to help your battery last longer.»

Which iPhone models can use Adaptive Power?

The feature uses AI to monitor and choose when its power-saving measures should be activated, so that means only phones compatible with Apple Intelligence get the feature. These are the models that have the option:

• iPhone 17
• iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max
• iPhone Air
• iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus
• iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max
• iPhone 16e
• iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max

Although some iPad and Mac models support Apple Intelligence, the feature is only available on iPhones.

How to turn Adaptive Power on

On the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max and iPhone Air, Adaptive Power is on by default. For other models, you must opt in to use it. In iOS 26, you’ll find the Adaptive Power toggle in Settings > Battery > Power Mode. If you want to be alerted when the feature is active, turn on the Adaptive Power Notifications option.

Adaptive Power sounds like an outgrowth of Gaming Mode, introduced in iOS 18, which routes all available processing and graphics power to the frontmost app and pauses other processes in order to deliver the best experience possible — at the notable expense of battery life.

What does this mean for your charging habits?

Although we all want as much battery life as possible all the time, judging by the description, it sounds as if Adaptive Power’s optimizations will not always be active, even if you leave the feature on. «When your battery usage is higher than usual» could include a limited number of situations. Still, considering that according to a CNET survey, 61% of people upgrade their phones because of battery life, a feature such as Adaptive Power could extend the longevity of their phones just by updating to iOS 26.

I also wonder whether slightly adjusting display brightness could be disruptive, but in my experience so far, it hasn’t been noticeable. Because the feature also selectively de-prioritizes processing tasks, the outward effects will likely be minimal.

Read more: Adaptive Power in iOS 26 Could Save the iPhone 17 Air From This Major Pitfall

We’ll get a better idea about how well Adaptive Power works as more people adopt iOS 26 and start buying new iPhone models. Also, remember that shortly after installing a major software update, it’s common to experience worse battery life as the system optimizes data in the background; Apple went so far as to remind customers that it’s a temporary side effect.