Apple Wallet driver's licenses: Florida and Rhode Island say no

Two states have recently told Apple Wallet they are not going to support mobile driver’s licenses, according to 9to5Mac. Florida and Rhode Island indicated they will not launch Apple Wallet driver’s licenses anytime soon, and each state gave different reasons for holding off.

Apple Wallet driver's licenses, and which states paused

9to5Mac reports that Florida and Rhode Island both signalled they are not moving ahead with Apple Wallet driver’s licenses at this time. The piece notes the number of states offering digital driver’s licenses is growing, and that three states are expected to launch support soon, but Florida and Rhode Island are explicitly not among them, per 9to5Mac.

In Florida’s case, the state issued a new physical driver’s license and ID card and made no accompanying announcement about a digital option. 9to5Mac links that absence to Governor Ron DeSantis’s public opposition to digital driver’s licenses, and notes Florida had offered a digital ID previously but ended that support in 2024.

In Rhode Island, Walter “Bud” Craddock, who is Chair of the AAMVA International Board of Directors, explained on a podcast that he sees limited current demand and does not want to develop a platform-specific solution. 9to5Mac quotes Craddock as saying he wants to see broader, more universal adoption before investing, that the Transportation Security Administration has been the main user so far, and that few New England airports accepted mobile driver’s licenses until recently. Craddock also expressed reluctance to duplicate development for multiple vendor wallets.

Why the two states said no

The reasons reported by 9to5Mac fall into three themes: political opposition, limited current usefulness, and cost or duplication of effort.

• Political stance: Florida’s leadership has publicly opposed digital IDs, and the state did not use the recent physical ID update as an opportunity to announce a digital rollout.
• Limited demand: Rhode Island’s AAMVA chair framed the current MDL user base as small, with TSA as the primary use case so far, and limited airport acceptance in the region.
• Cost and platform concerns: Rhode Island’s official said he does not want to build separate solutions for different vendor wallets, preferring a cross-platform approach before committing funds.

What this means for small businesses, nonprofits, and agencies

If your organization is in Florida or Rhode Island, you should not plan on state-issued Apple Wallet driver’s licenses becoming an accepted, widely used credential in the short term, per 9to5Mac. That affects a few operational areas:

• ID acceptance at intake points. Continue relying on physical IDs and existing verification procedures.
• Travel screens or TSA checks. The article highlights TSA as an early adopter of mobile driver’s licenses; regional airport acceptance has been uneven.
• Planning for digital ID rollouts. Expect that state timing and political leadership can change direction, so have a flexible approach.

If you operate in other states, 9to5Mac notes the broader rollout of mobile IDs is still moving forward in many places, with several states already supporting Apple Wallet driver’s licenses and three more expected to launch soon.

Practical steps for organizations

• Keep current ID policies in place: Continue to accept and verify physical driver’s licenses and state IDs as your primary method of identity proof.
• Check airport and agency acceptance: If your work depends on travel or TSA screening, confirm which forms of ID are accepted at the specific airports or checkpoints you use.
• Plan for optional future support: Design systems that can accept digital IDs later without disrupting existing workflows.
• Avoid platform lock-in: If you build or buy identity-checking tools, prefer solutions that can work with multiple credential formats rather than one vendor-only approach.
• Communicate clearly: Tell staff and customers what forms of ID you accept now, and update guidance only when the state formally announces a change.

Watch for leadership and policy changes

9to5Mac notes that both the political leadership in Florida and the AAMVA chair position in Rhode Island are due to change. Those changes could alter each state’s posture toward mobile driver’s licenses, according to the article. If you keep monitoring official state motor vehicle agency announcements, you will catch any formal decisions to launch digital IDs.

If you need help making a plan that keeps your operations flexible for future mobile ID support, we build iPhone apps and related mobile services that can be designed to accept new credential types when your state or partners announce them (/#apps).

Bottom line

Per 9to5Mac, Florida and Rhode Island are not launching Apple Wallet driver’s licenses right now, citing political opposition, limited current use, and concerns about duplicating work across platform wallets. For most small organizations that means continuing existing ID practices while watching for formal state announcements that could change the situation.