Apple’s latest iOS 26 update should be a huge red flag to iPhone users everywhere. These devices we carry with us everywhere store a multitude of private information and are now facing a greater risk. The new feature adding U.S. passports to the Apple Wallet is a direct threat to our privacy, offering a gateway for accessibility with our data and personal information.
This feature is set to be released towards the end of 2025 on a rolling basis following the shift to Real IDs in each state. If users choose to comply, they can store their sensitive information on their device.
However, with digital files in every person’s hands, this feature could create opportunities for potential privacy exploitation, data breaches, identity theft and even misuse from immigration and law enforcement. Rather than being a groundbreaking innovation, it could be a gateway for government overreach.
Passports include personal information such as addresses, place and date of birth. This information — paired with Real IDs accessible via Apple Wallet — includes eye color, height, and other such personal identifiers. Having all of this on a person’s phone screen creates a perfect recipe for identity theft and cybersecurity threats. We are essentially handing over all of our personal information to a single platform that can be easily breached. Digital attacks or cyberattacks are extremely common and are only becoming more prevalent due to a lack of thorough protection measures.
While the updates are intended for more accessible identification, these features should be strictly used for emergencies. With sensitive documents at the palm of each person’s hand, accessibility for the owner may also mean vulnerability to identity theft, fraud or unauthorized citizenship checks.
Since they first became popular, mobile phones have greatly gone beyond their initial purpose. With that, users have continued to face a growing number of problems involving phishing emails, hackers and scammers. Apple has continued to release updates and features creating efficiency and a sense of protection for their users. Yet, the problem remains, that there are no real safety measures against malware and ransomware with each new feature added.
With sensitive information stored in one spot and requiring only a simple Face ID or passcode, hackers can easily sift through endless amounts of data behind a single phone. With this vulnerability in our devices, adding our passports is the last thing we want to do.
This update comes at a peculiar time, considering the rigid political climate in America. Identification and privacy are being restricted, revoked and completely stripped from citizens. With recent news of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents targeting people on the street, this identification feature seems terrifying to introduce in such a state.
The update could put vulnerable groups — including immigrants traveling domestically, people of color and transgender individuals — at further risk should Americans collectively decide to use this feature for travel.
Apple’s concept of more and more features and accessibility through shorter steps is nothing more than a facade. With each update, more information and data are being taken from their customers, with the trade-off of mediocre aesthetic and technical features. Users need to be cautious and aware of the data and privacy threats they will be subjecting themselves to. Under the current political landscape, people must not fall for a false sense of accessibility in devices that have already gone beyond their basic functions as phones.
Siona Chibber is an Opinion Intern for the fall 2025 quarter. She can be reached at schibber@uci.edu.
Edited by Isabella Ehring and Joshua Gonzales