Apple’s WWDC 2025 announcement could be a turning point for digital identity. With iOS 26, users will be able to store government passports in Apple Wallet-unlocking a new era of on-device, privacy-preserving ID. This raises major opportunities, and questions, for carriers, enterprises, and digital identity providers. Tim Green, MEF Programme Director for ID and Data, explores what it means for the mobile ecosystem.
Has something massive just happened to Apple Wallet? Could be. For years the app has seemed to promise more than it delivered. Yes, you can put your bank cards, airline tickets and Eventbrite passes in there. But ID documents? Not so much.
Now, Apple has made a big announcement at WWDC – and it could have a huge impact on the way millions of people prove their identities online and ‘in real life’.
In short: Apple will let users store digital government passports in Apple Wallet.
Inside iOS 26, iPhone users will be able to create a digital passport by scanning a physical passport using the camera and then verifying it with biometrics (Face ID or Touch ID).
As always, MEF is well-placed to navigate the implications of moves like this. Our ID and data members include the operators, service providers and technology leaders that are shaping the future of mobile digital identity.”
The digital version won’t replace a physical passport at international border crossings, but it will suffice in some travel scenarios. In fact, Apple already supports digitised driver’s licences, which are accepted at 250 TSA checkpoints across the US.
Apple says it’s looking to expand digital passport acceptance in the future.
Away from airport check-in, the service should move Apple into the identity space in online scenarios too. Users will be able to verify their age and identity online without uploading any documents or details (photo ID, utility bill, date of birth etc). Instead, they will securely verify on-device.
This is, of course, the vision that many in the ID space have been working towards: a mobile identity system that lets people control their own data, and frees enterprises of the burden of storing customer personal details.
Good news for consumers. But what does it mean for stakeholders in the mobile ecosystem? Where do carriers and service providers fit in an ecosystem where the device – and not the SIM – is the identity authority?
Here are some potential implications:
- Reduced friction in on-boarding to operator services. Examples might include activating an eSIM or roaming.
- Reduced friction for in on-boarding to enterprise services.
- Opportunity for carriers to partner with governments and Apple to issue or verify credentials. They could provide attributes such as verified phone number or account status.
- Potential disruption in authentication. Apple’s system could challenge one time SMS passcode and other services.
- Potential to provision IoT devices, using a verified user identity to activate and enrol a device on a network.
- Device level authentication could help carriers reduce fraud in international call and SMS termination.
- Carriers could bundle identity-as-a-service (IDaaS) solutions into enterprise mobility contracts using the new device-level credentials.
Strategic questions for MEF members
As always, MEF is well-placed to navigate the implications of moves like this. Our ID and data members include the operators, service providers and technology leaders that are shaping the future of mobile digital identity. They are already considering questions such as:
- Should carriers embrace the Apple wallet as a trust layer for wholesale, roaming, and enterprise services. Or should they build operator-controlled frameworks?
- Can MEF lead the development of interoperable standards that connect device-based with network-based ID?
If these topics affect your organisation, you should join our programme. Find out more details here.
