Apple could be reintroducing a fan favourite feature, but we’ll have to wait until 2021

Apple could be planning to bring back Touch ID using an in-display fingerprint sensor, but not until 2021. 

This comes from a report from Ming-Chi Kuo, a well-respected analyst that has a decent track record when it comes to predicting how the Cupertino-based tech giant is going to act. 9to5Mac is reporting that the analyst is predicting the technology will be included along with Apple’s FaceID facial recognition tech for the 2021 iPhone launch as a single security solution. 

In-display fingerprint sensors aren’t anything particularly new, but Apple will likely want to develop technology that puts their own unique spin on it, which we’ve seen with several other innovations. At the moment, in-screen sensors draw a lot of power and they’re still slower and less reliable than the classic capacitive fingerprint sensors. Ultrasonic tech is more reliable, but that’s slower still.

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During Tim Cook’s tenure as CEO, Apple has prioritised security, so it’s likely that the company will want to ensure their in-display sensor is the best it can possibly be.Indeed, Apple filed a patent in 2017 detailed an in-display fingerprint sensor of their own. However, by 2021 Apple is betting, reportedly, that these problems will be solved.

This is still a couple of years away so plenty of stuff could change by then. The landscape might change, or Apple might decide that the technology isn’t in the right spot for them. Reintroducing Touch iD would be a big move for Apple, especially if the rumour of a unified biometric security solution comes together, meaning that anyone trying to get access to the phone would need to get past both Touch ID and also the facial recognition software. This would be useful as both of these security measures have been bypassed in the pass by malicious actors. If security is key for Apple now, which appears to be the case, they’ll want a more impregnable solution, which could come in 2021.