The Federal Ministry of the Interior has announced that it will be possible to scan German ID cards with an iPhone running iOS 13.

This follows earlier news that iPhones will be able to scan the NFC chips in Japanese ID cards and British passports …

Apple originally locked the NFC reader in iPhones so that it only supported the data format for contactless payment cards, limiting use to Apple Pay. With iOS 13, Apple is removing that restriction, so that iPhones fitted with the chip will have the technical ability to read any NFC chip.

Apple still needs to approve apps on a case-by-case basis, but the existing precedents mean we can expect it to approve all official government apps for passports and ID cards. Any country that wants to be able to offer this capability to its citizens will be able to do so.

Macerkopf reported the news from Germany, noting that this will make it easier for German citizens to verify their identity online, as well as using the virtual card at airports.

iPhone users will of course be able to choose whether or not to use the app.

How many people will choose to scan German ID cards will be interesting to see. There is a very strong privacy culture in the country, with many wary of leaving an electronic trail. It’s why cash remains so popular in the country as Bloomberg noted last year.

Source: 9to5mac