Apple Wallet Digital IDs Are Expanding to Four More States
Apple is preparing to add Apple Wallet digital ID support to four additional US states: North Carolina, Oklahoma, Utah, and Virginia, according to Engadget and MacRumors. The expansion would bring the total to 19 states plus Puerto Rico, continuing a rollout that began nearly five years ago.
North Carolina is the furthest along of the four. The state's Division of Motor Vehicles has confirmed plans to launch a mobile ID program in December 2026, starting through its own NC Wallet app. Support for Apple Wallet, Google Wallet, and Samsung Wallet is expected to follow in early 2027, per the NCDMV's official mobile ID page. North Carolina residents with a valid driver's license or state ID will be able to set up a mobile ID at no extra cost. TSA checkpoints at more than 250 US airports already accept North Carolina's mobile IDs, including Charlotte Douglas International Airport and Raleigh-Durham International Airport.
The NC Wallet app is designed to grow beyond mobile ID functionality, according to the NCDMV, suggesting the state intends to use the platform as a broader digital identity and services hub rather than a single-purpose credential holder.
For Oklahoma, Utah, and Virginia, the timeline is less clear. MacRumors reported seeing code references suggesting Apple Wallet may soon support digital IDs in those three states, with no indication of when they will become available. A 9to5Mac report in late July had previously identified Utah and Virginia as likely next launches, lending some corroboration to the code-level findings. Oklahoma and Utah were, notably, among the states Apple named in its original September 2021 announcement of partners for the Wallet ID program, though neither has launched in the intervening five years.
Apple Wallet currently supports digital IDs in 15 jurisdictions: Arizona, Maryland, Colorado, Georgia, Ohio, Hawaii, California, Iowa, New Mexico, Montana, North Dakota, West Virginia, Illinois, Arkansas, and Puerto Rico. Apple introduced what it calls Digital ID in November 2025 as a streamlined way to create and present an ID in Apple Wallet, building on the earlier driver's license and state ID feature that first launched with Arizona in March 2022.
The trajectory has been gradual but accelerating. Apple announced the first partner states in September 2021, launched with Arizona in March 2022, added California in September 2024, and reached 12 states plus Puerto Rico by the November 2025 Digital ID launch. A MacRumors report from December 2025 noted that the feature was available in 13 states and Puerto Rico at that time, with at least seven more states expected to launch in the future. The four states now surfacing in code account for a portion of that pipeline.
North Carolina's multi-wallet approach stands out. The state is launching through its own app first, with platform wallet integration deferred to early 2027. This is a different sequencing from the early Apple Wallet launches, where Apple Wallet support was typically the initial or sole channel. The NC Wallet-first model gives the state direct control of the credential and its surrounding infrastructure before handing off to third-party wallet providers, which may reflect lessons learned from states that launched directly into Apple Wallet and dealt with the constraints of relying on a single platform.
The broader context here is one of slow but compounding adoption. Five years after the initial announcement, Apple Wallet digital IDs cover roughly a third of US states. The pace has been dictated less by Apple's technology than by the complexity of coordinating with state DMVs, meeting each state's identity verification requirements, and securing TSA and other federal agency acceptance. North Carolina's TSA readiness across 250-plus airports suggests that the federal acceptance infrastructure has matured to the point where new state launches can plug into an existing verification network rather than building acceptance from scratch. That should lower the barrier for the remaining states.
The NCDOT has published promotional materials for the North Carolina Mobile ID, including an image titled "North Carolina Mobile ID Coming Soon," indicating the state is already in active public-facing preparation for a December launch.
Oklahoma and Utah have been on Apple's partner list since day one. The fact that they are only now appearing in Wallet code, five years later, is a reminder that state-level procurement, legislative authorization, and technical integration move on their own clocks, not Apple's. Virginia, which was not among the original 2021 partners, appears to be a more recent addition to the pipeline.
For developers and identity professionals tracking mobile driver's license (mDL) adoption, the North Carolina model is the one to watch. A state-operated app that supports multiple wallet platforms, launches with federal TSA acceptance already in place, and is architected to expand beyond identity into other state services is a more complete template than the early Apple Wallet-only launches provided. If Oklahoma, Utah, and Virginia follow a similar multi-wallet pattern, the digital ID landscape could shift from a platform-by-platform rollout to a state-led, platform-agnostic model. That would be a meaningful structural change, and one that benefits users who do not carry an iPhone.
