The TSA is finally accepting that digitalization is the future, and now at last you will be able to carry your digital ID in Apple and Google at more than 250 security checkpoints across the country. Finally, yes! It will be almost like paying with your card from your phone or watch (because we will also be able to use a watch, super modern!!!), you will bring your device close to the scanner and you will be able to travel peacefully. No need to dig around for your passport or check 38 times before leaving home to make sure it is not expired.
And the best part is that this measure arrives right before the most chaotic travel season of the year in all airports: Christmas. And if you are wondering, yes, they promise calm, safety and a much smoother travel experience.
After years of testing, Apple Wallet and Google Wallet allow you to create an ID based on your passport and show it with a couple of taps. And according to what early travelers say, it works fast, it works well and, best of all, it respects your privacy.
Show your document, please
For many, going through TSA was the most chaotic moment in airports, standing in line for a while, waiting for the worker to check your passport and finally being allowed to pass. Well, TSA wants that to end now, you will be the one who controls what is shared and when, you will not have to leave it in a tray or show it several times like until now, because you will validate everything from your own device.
How these new IDs work
All the verification happens inside the phone, there are no screens showing your personal data and no agents who have to touch anything. You bring the phone close, the information is validated and that’s it.
Apple Wallet
The process starts by scanning your passport inside Apple Wallet. Once added, you can show your ID by double clicking on the iPhone or Apple Watch and bringing it close to the TSA reader, like when you pay in any establishment.
Apple insists that the information is completely encrypted and that neither they, nor TSA, nor the airport can track when you use your ID.
Google Wallet
On Android, you scan the passport, read the NFC chip and then record a short video to confirm your identity. After that your ID Pass is generated.
From there it works the same as in Apple, you unlock the phone, bring it close… and you go through.
Okay, and what limitations does it have right now?
Basically, that for now you cannot travel only with the digital ID, you will need to carry the physical document with you in case something goes wrong. And also, not all airports allow identification this way, only some.
And careful, you will need iOS 26 or Android 9 and above to install it!
And what does the passenger really gain?
Basically you will spend less time at the checkpoint, and there will be less possibility that someone can impersonate an ID.
Also, now that Christmas is coming and we all want to go home to be with family, TSA will put it to the test to see how the system works under pressure and what adjustments will be needed to extend it nationwide.
Is the future already here?
These new IDs add to the digital license progress in 17 states, and it is clear that the future is arriving through our screens.
There is still time before physical identification disappears completely, but both Apple and Google have made it clear that the transition is already underway (and for those of us who are a bit forgetful with documents, it is not a bad thing).