Apple Wallet Digital ID
Ranked 5 of 7 digital IDs by recommenders
People like that it presents only the information needed for a transaction, such as proof of age, and works while the phone is locked. Critics distrust Apple's closed platform and worry about police searches and government tracking.
People like that it presents only the information needed for a transaction, such as proof of age, and works while the phone is locked. Critics distrust Apple's closed platform and worry about police searches and government tracking.
21 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 9
- criticize it
- 12
- approval share
- 43%
Recommended in 4 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 9 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 0.7 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, not met.
- Recommended in 4 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Shares only needed information
“The beauty of digital licenses (ie as implemented by iPhone) is you can restrict the information provided so e.g. a bar or grocery store only gets your age.”
Comment from 7 Oct 2026 in “California closed the Montana license plate loophole” “Only the information needed for a transaction is presented”
Comment from 12 Nov 2025 in “Digital ID, a new way to create and present an ID in Apple Wallet” Works without carrying a physical ID
“seems like it could be a nice choice for folks with passports but no desire to get pre or global entry”
Comment from 13 Nov 2025 in “Digital ID, a new way to create and present an ID in Apple Wallet” “Having my ID on my phone gives me convenience and doesn't take anything away.”
Comment from 13 Nov 2025 in “Digital ID, a new way to create and present an ID in Apple Wallet” “if I need a digital ID, then this is the best solution”
Comment from 25 Mar 2026 in “Apple Just Lost Me”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Proprietary, opaque platform distrust
“Identity on mobile, proprietary platforms, whose level of complexity makes it humanly impossible to understand them even for governments themselves”
Comment from 12 Nov 2025 in “Digital ID, a new way to create and present an ID in Apple Wallet” “dependency on battery or storing sensitive data on non transparent (proprietary) device”
Comment from 14 Nov 2025 in “Digital ID, a new way to create and present an ID in Apple Wallet” “The fact that Apple remains a black box company means I can't trust them now”
Comment from 12 Nov 2025 in “Digital ID, a new way to create and present an ID in Apple Wallet” Police may search the phone
“You have no issues with handing over your cell phone to a police officer who pulls you over?”
Comment from 13 Nov 2025 in “Digital ID, a new way to create and present an ID in Apple Wallet” “they can legally search it as your ID and other pertinent information are there”
Comment from 13 Nov 2025 in “Digital ID, a new way to create and present an ID in Apple Wallet” “This will give them immediate probable cause to search my phone.”
Comment from 13 Nov 2025 in “Digital ID, a new way to create and present an ID in Apple Wallet” Not available outside the US
“Doesn't seem to work if you are outside the US, it's not even an option to add.”
Comment from 13 Nov 2025 in “Digital ID, a new way to create and present an ID in Apple Wallet” “if you live outside the US with a US passport, you can't use it”
Comment from 13 Nov 2025 in “Digital ID, a new way to create and present an ID in Apple Wallet”
Other digital IDs people recommend
The four most recommended other digital IDs, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BankID | 25 | 28 | 47% | 9 | — | — |
| EU Digital Identity Wallet | 13 | 20 | 39% | 8 | — | — |
| DigiD | 11 | 9 | 55% | 7 | — | — |
| MitID | 11 | 21 | 34% | 4 | — | — |
| Apple Wallet Digital IDThis page | 9 | 12 | 43% | 4 | — | — |
What people said
21 of the 23 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“The beauty of digital licenses (ie as implemented by iPhone) is you can restrict the information provided so e.g. a bar or grocery store only gets your age.”
“if I need a digital ID, then this is the best solution”
“given you can already enroll US state ID on iOS, those problems are clearly solvable”
“dependency on battery or storing sensitive data on non transparent (proprietary) device”
“The California e-driver’s license app didn’t have this nonsense restriction.”
“they can legally search it as your ID and other pertinent information are there”
“This will give them immediate probable cause to search my phone.”
“That assumes every LEO, bodega, grocery store, etc. goes out and buys the terminals to read these things”
“Apple cleverly designed it so if phone is in locked state”
“You have no issues with handing over your cell phone to a police officer who pulls you over?”
“Having my ID on my phone gives me convenience and doesn't take anything away.”
“seems like it could be a nice choice for folks with passports but no desire to get pre or global entry”
“It also normalizes in the public eye the notion that conventional ID's deserve suspicion”
“if you live outside the US with a US passport, you can't use it”
“Doesn't seem to work if you are outside the US, it's not even an option to add.”
“It's just legislation away for everyone to be tracked in realtime”
“Identity on mobile, proprietary platforms, whose level of complexity makes it humanly impossible to understand them even for governments themselves”
“The fact that Apple remains a black box company means I can't trust them now”
“These are NOT ID"s. They're government dreamcasted app's for managing the lives of civilians.”
“Only the information needed for a transaction is presented”
“hooray for dragging the U.S. into everyday people having a federal ID in their pocket”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.