Iowa launches mobile identification card app. How will it work?

Katie Akin, Des Moines Register
·3 min read

Iowa has launched its long-awaited mobile ID app, but don't leave your wallet at home just yet.

"Iowa Mobile ID" is available for download from the Apple App Store and Google Play.

Users may upload their driver's license to the app. As businesses and organizations adopt the mobile ID system, you'll be able to display your smartphone to verify your age or identity.

"Mobile ID is a companion to the physical card and does not replace it," Iowa Department of Transportation spokesperson Toni Smith said in an email. "Iowans should still carry their physical card."

How does Iowa's mobile ID app work?

The Iowa Mobile ID app asks users to upload a photo of the front and back of their driver's license or state-issued identification card.

Then, the app will ask the user to take a selfie while moving their head slightly from side to side. App developer IDEMIA says the moving selfie allows the app to do facial recognition to verify that you are uploading your own license.

Iowa Mobile ID will allow Iowans to use their phone to verify their age or identity.
Iowa Mobile ID will allow Iowans to use their phone to verify their age or identity.

Users will also create a PIN password for an added layer of security.

The app will combine your driver's license information and the selfie to create a mobile ID, complete with scannable QR codes.

Where can I use a mobile ID in Iowa?

Businesses and organizations are not required to accept mobile identification, so it may be a while before you can whip out your phone to show your ID at your favorite bar.

Smith said the Department of Transportation is not responsible for developing a system to verify the mobile IDs. Smith directed business owners to the department's website for more information on how organizations can prepare to accept mobile IDs.

Who made Iowa's mobile ID app? Is it safe?

Iowa contracted with IDEMIA, a France-based company that specializes in identity verification, to develop the mobile ID app.

Smith said the app will store user data only within the state system of record and within the user's device.

"App users are in control of their information, as a business cannot see it until the user consents to share it," Smith wrote in an email. "We’re changing the customer experience. It’s no longer a visual review of the ID — it’s using a QR code to share ID. This is what makes the process new, different and more secure!"

Do I have to get the Iowa mobile ID app?

Iowans are not required to download or use the mobile ID app.

How long has Iowa been working on mobile ID?

It's been nearly a decade since Iowa began its effort to offer mobile ID.

Former Department of Transportation Director Paul Trombino said in late 2014 the app would be available within the next year, which would have made Iowa one of the first states to adopt the technology.

State employees tested an early version of the app in 2015, but it was never released to the public.

In 2021, Apple announced it would allow iPhone owners in Arizona and Georgia to store their state ID in the Wallet app. Iowa was supposed to be one of the early adopters for Apple's mobile ID program, but so far it has expanded only to Colorado and Maryland.

Smith said development on the app began before there were international and national guidelines for managing digital identification cards. As those guidelines came out, Iowa delayed the app's debut to make sure the it was compliant.

"This did add additional development time and additional testing time," Smith said. "Aligning to these standards drives interoperability, as there is the potential to go from state to state, even overseas."

Katie Akin is a politics reporter for the Register. Reach her at kakin@registermedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at @katie_akin.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa's mobile identification app is finally out. How does it work?