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Arizona offers retailers new app to verify mobile IDs for alcohol purchases

An Arizona mobile ID in Google Wallet.
Arizona Department of Transportation
An Arizona mobile ID in Google Wallet/.

ADOT’s Motor Vehicle Division is rolling out an app that will allow drivers to use their mobile IDs to purchase alcohol from some retailers.

Bill Lamoreaux, a spokesperson for MVD, said Arizona first offered the mobile ID in 2021, but drivers couldn’t use it to prove their age at stores.

“The only case to use it up until now was really at TSA at certain airports across the country,” he said.

"There’s probably not a lot of retailers using it just yet but with it just coming out this week, we hope that people will see the value and the ease and security of this app as an option," Lamoreaux said.

The Smart ID Verifier app is now available to retailers who want to use mobile ID for alcohol purchases.

“What also makes it more secure is that that device that the retailer is using only scans your phone for the photo to verify that it is you trying to purchase that beverage and your age, that you are over the drinking age of 21,” Lamoreaux said.

The app does not give the retailer your address or exact date of birth. Not all retailers will participate so MVD encourages drivers to continue carrying their physical IDs just to be safe.

While the app is designed to work seamlessly within Arizona, it may not be available at all retailers immediately. Additionally, its functionality in other states depends on compatibility with digital wallets such as Google, Apple or Samsung.

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Senior field correspondent Bridget Dowd has a bachelor’s degree from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.
Greenlee Clark was an intern at KJZZ in 2024.