Apple said to be still working on under-display Touch ID

Image source: MacRumours

Apple is said to be still considering under-display Touch ID for its devices.

The latest rumour from Korean Naver blog claims Apple plans to introduce under-display Touch ID in two to three years after the debut of the under-display Face ID.

The first iPhone with an under-display Face ID should arrive next year on the Pro models. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo shared in April 2022 that the "real full-screen iPhone" will launch in 2024 with the high-end models adopting an under-display Face ID and front camera.

However, Mark Gurman of Bloomberg wrote in October 2022 that Touch ID is unlikely to make a comeback on any flagship iPhone as Apple's long term goal is "to implement Face ID in the display itself”. Analyst Kuo also feels an under-display Touch ID is unnecessary with the implementation of Face ID with a Mask.

Nonetheless, Apple has been granted several patent applications for an under-display Touch ID over the past few years. As early as 2015, Apple filed a patent describing three technologies - optical, capacitive and ultrasonic - that can be used by fingerprint sensors. In 2017, Apple was granted a patent titled "Touch ID under the Display". In 2020, Apple was awarded a patent for an under-display optical sensor that can recognise fingerprints over much of the screen. In 2021, Apple was granted a patent for an under-display Touch ID that uses reflected light.

Source: naver via MacRumours