Florida and Rhode Island say no to driver's licences in Apple Wallet, as 17 states and territories now support themFlorida and Rhode Island say no to driver's licences in Apple Wallet, as 17 states and territories now support them

Florida and Rhode Island have both signalled that they will not offer driver's licences in Apple Wallet any time soon.

9to5Mac gathered the two positions on 8 October. Florida introduced a new design of physical driver's licence and ID card last week with no digital version alongside it, which 9to5Mac links to the governor's stated opposition. In Rhode Island, the official in charge of licences said on a podcast last week that he had turned down a request to build one.

Florida: a governor against digital ID

Governor Ron DeSantis wrote on X on 28 November 2025 that the potential for government abuse outweighed the convenience, adding: "Not gonna happen in FL. No digital ID." Florida did once have a digital licence, through its own Florida Smart ID app rather than Apple Wallet. In July 2024 the state's Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles told users to delete the app and carry their physical card while it looked for a new vendor, 9to5Mac reported at the time. No replacement has launched.

Rhode Island: cost, and one solution for every phone

Walter "Bud" Craddock, administrator of Rhode Island's Division of Motor Vehicles since 2015 and chair of the international board of the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators, gave practical reasons. He said the main user of mobile licences is still the TSA, that until recently no airport in New England accepted one, and that he wants a solution that works across platforms rather than separate work for Apple's and Google's wallets. "So why would I spend the money", he asked. 9to5Mac notes that both men leave their posts within months, so either position could change in 2027.

Which states support Apple Wallet IDs?

Apple's own list, read on 8 October, has 17 places where you can add a driver's licence or state ID to Wallet: Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, Virginia and West Virginia. The TSA's list of places whose Apple Wallet IDs it accepts matches it exactly. Apple says more are on the way.

Can Florida and Rhode Island residents use Apple Wallet at the airport anyway?

Yes, for domestic flights, through a different route. Apple's Digital ID is created from a US passport rather than a state licence, so it does not depend on the state at all. Apple says it needs a valid, unexpired US passport and an iPhone 11 or later on iOS 26.1 or later, or an Apple Watch Series 6 or later on watchOS 26.1. It works only at select TSA checkpoints for domestic travel, and Apple is clear it does not replace a physical passport. It is also not a driving licence, so it does not help at a traffic stop.

Our take

The two refusals are different in kind, and only one is about privacy. Florida's is political and tied to one governor; Rhode Island's is a budget argument that most small states could make. Craddock's complaint, that every wallet needs its own integration, describes exactly how Apple's programme has spread: one state at a time, each signing up separately with Apple and Google. After four years that has reached 17 places, roughly a third of the country.

APPDOOK's reading is that the passport-based Digital ID has quietly taken much of the pressure off the states. The reason most people want an ID on their phone is the airport, and Apple has solved that without them. What a state licence in Wallet still adds is proof of age, address and driving entitlement, and that needs shops, bars and police to accept it, which is a slower change than the TSA's. If DeSantis's successor or Craddock's takes a different view in 2027, Florida and Rhode Island can still join; the technology is not the obstacle.