Apple’s digital driver’s license feature has been reportedly postponed to early 2022, according to an update to Apple’s iOS 15 page that MacRumors noticed.
The change comes after news broke that Apple was looking for strict control over how states roll out the feature, which was previously listed as coming late this year.
The feature was first announced at WWDC 2021, Apple says that the feature will let you use its Wallet app to store your digital identification for use at airport security checkpoints. Of course, the system is dependent on your state supporting it — the company announced that Arizona and Georgia would be the first to let citizens add their licenses to their phones but didn’t provide any details about when it will be available.
Earlier this month, a report showed how restrictive Apple’s contracts with the states chosen to lead the program are.
CNBC said, according to the contracts it viewed from Georgia, Arizona, Oklahoma, and Kentucky, that Apple has sole discretion concerning how the states marketed the program, how they reported on its success, and even the date that they launched the program and the devices they’re allowed to mark as compatible. States, and therefore taxpayers, are also responsible for funding the program, despite Apple choosing when it launches.
