State officials say there’s a FREE “Iowa Mobile ID” app for smartphones now. It creates a digital version of an Iowa driver’s license or state-issued ID. Toni Smith is the emerging technology manager at the Iowa DOT. She says the app is available in the Apple Store for iPhones and in Google Play for Android smartphones.
There was a soft launch of the app this summer. Smith used her mobile ID last week as she went through the TSA precheck at the Des Moines airport.
Mobile IDs are now accepted at the airports in both Des Moines and Cedar Rapids, as well as many other US airports. Smith says the Mobile I-D is accepted at some businesses, but it requires a scanner that can read the unique Q-R code that’s generated for each individual who has a Mobile ID.
The Iowa DOT’s website has information for businesses that want to give customers a Mobile ID option. DOT officials emphasize you’ll still need to carry the physical card that’s your driver’s license digital version isn’t accepted as an ID everywhere.
Iowa joins Arizona, Colorado, Georgia and Maryland as states that are offering digital ID’s in both the Apple and Google Wallets on smartphones.
A recent survey by Forbes Advisor found 53 percent of Americans are using a digital wallet more often than cash or a credit card when making purchases.
