Apple Wallet adds digital ID
- Apple has added Apple Wallet Digital ID as an approved way to confirm adulthood for Apple Accounts and Apple services, extending the passport-based credential beyond airport screening and third-party app checks. - Apple’s support page says adults may be asked to verify age when creating an account, updating software, changing some safety settings, or downloading apps rated 18+, using Wallet instead of a card scan. - The update turns a U.S.-passport Digital ID launched in November 2025 into an account-level verification tool inside Apple’s own ecosystem. (apple.com)
Apple now lets people use a Digital ID stored in Wallet to confirm they are adults for Apple Accounts and some Apple services. (apple.com) Apple added that option in a support document published in April 2026. It says users may be asked to verify age after creating an Apple Account, updating device software, changing certain safety settings, or trying to download an app rated 18+. (apple.com) The new option applies to a Digital ID created in Wallet from a U.S. passport. Apple says regular passports still are not accepted directly for these prompts, but a passport-based Digital ID in Wallet is. (apple.com 1) (apple.com 2) Apple launched that passport-based Digital ID on November 12, 2025. At the time, the company said the feature would roll out first in beta at Transportation Security Administration checkpoints at more than 250 U.S. airports, with more acceptance points to come later. (apple.com) Wallet IDs work like a selective digital version of a physical card. Apple says users see what data is being requested, approve the share with Face ID or Touch ID, and do not have to hand over the whole document. (apple.com 1) (apple.com 2) Apple has been building the plumbing for that system through its Verify with Wallet tools for developers. Those tools let apps request only the identity or age details they need, instead of asking users to upload an ID photo or take a selfie every time. (apple.com) For passport-based Digital ID specifically, Apple says the feature requires an iPhone 11 or later running iOS 26.1 or later, or an Apple Watch Series 6 or later running watchOS 26.1 or later. Setting it up also requires an unexpired U.S. passport, two-factor authentication on the Apple Account, and biometric authentication on the device. (apple.com 1) (apple.com 2) Apple says the Digital ID is derived from a government-issued passport, but it is not itself a passport and cannot replace one for international travel or border crossings. The company is instead turning it into a reusable credential for proving age or identity in apps, online, and now inside Apple’s own account flows. (apple.com) (apple.com)
