As the prospect of an iPhone without classic physical buttons and possibly without ports becomes almost palpable, the return of Touch ID seems unlikely. The fingerprint sensor has been absent from iPhones for several years, but some analysts see it returning…in a different form. Alongside Face ID sensors moved under the screen.
Since the debut of the iPhone X in 2017, Apple has chosen to implement Face ID as a biometric security method. Touch ID is now only present on the iPhone SE 3 and iPad Mini 6, as well as on some MacBooks. Well, a rumor on the South Korean blog Naver claims that Apple could launch an iPhone with an integrated Touch ID fingerprint reader under the screen. This will happen one year after the integration of Face ID under the screen, which will take place in 2024 or 2025.
This means that Touch ID will only return in this form in 2026. The information aligns with recent patents received by Apple. The Cupertino company quickly abandoned fingerprint sensors, this is the general consensus. It didn’t even go through the stage of integrating it into a side button, for example. Having a fingerprint reader and facial sensor on a phone may seem like overkill, but considering that we’re talking about securing transactions in some cases, it’s a welcome decision.
The problem lies in the space dedicated to integrating two such important components under the screen. It will be interesting to see how Tim Cook and his team will present these features that have been commonplace on Android for years as innovation by 2025-2026. As for the integration of Face ID sensors under the screen, the decision means that we will get rid of holes in the display and the selfie camera could have the same fate.
However, none of the current implementations of cameras under the screen have come without problems, especially with clarity and reflections.
