Apple Wallet is already a one-stop shop for your credit and debit cards, loyalty cards, cinema and concert tickets, boarding passes, and much more. The clever app — preinstalled on every iPhone — will be treated to a slew of new features with the release of iOS 26, the next major release for Apple's bestselling smartphone.
For the first time, iPhone owners will be able to add a digital version of their passport to the Wallet app. In the United States, travellers will be able to use this all-digital passport to clear TSA checkpoints and board domestic flights.
That means you'll be able to travel across the USA with nothing but an iPhone in your pocket.
Once added to Wallet, your digital passport will sit alongside credit and debit cards, which can be used for contactless payments. Apple has cautioned its new passport feature isn't “a replacement for your physical passport,” so you'll still need to pack that all-important document when travelling abroad.
You can also use the digital passport stored in the Wallet app to verify your age and identity in certain apps, Apple says.
APPLE PRESS OFFICE
|With the introduction of iOS 26 later this year, Apple will let iPhone owners download and keep their passport in the Wallet app, so they can travel domestically in the United States with nothing but a smartphone
Under the Real ID Act, the US government now requires driver's licences and ID cards used for air travel to be upgraded with enhanced security standards, including proof of identity, residency, and biometric checks.
To streamline adoption, technology giants announced support for Real ID-compliant digital licences. Apple has piloted this scheme in several US states, letting eligible iPhone users tap at TSA checkpoints when their state opts in. Google has followed in its footsteps, adding state ID and driver’s licences to Google Wallet.
Individual states can phase-in Real ID on their own timetables — so it could take some time before everywhere in the United States has upgraded to the enhanced IDs. With digital passports now available to anyone in the US with the launch of iOS 26 in the autumn, Apple could help bolster adoption.
There's nothing to prevent the digital passport feature launching in the UK when iOS 26 arrives later this year. Apple is not restricting the feature to certain territories, instead, it's down to governments to adopt the new system.
The UK Government has already announced plans to introduce a digital driving licence later this year. Under current plans, this document will be accessible in the GOV.UK app on iPhone and Android. It won't be added to Apple Wallet.
Whether Downing Street changes its mind and decides to add its digital drivers licence to Apple Wallet in the future, or moves to adopt the new digital passport with the launch of iOS 26, remains to be seen.
GB News has contacted the UK Home Office to find out whether it has any plans to adopt this iOS 26 feature.
APPLE PRESS OFFICE
|One of the new additions to the Wallet app is the ability to quickly check the current location of your luggage throughout the journey
Elsewhere, Apple has added a host of new features to boarding passes in iOS 26. Airlines can now add links to terminal maps, so it’s easier than ever to find your way to the gate or to baggage claim. Apple will also support Find My within the Wallet app, so you can keep tabs on important items and report missing bags.
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