Apple Developing 'Enhanced' Under-Display Touch ID System

Apple is refining its as yet unused under-display fingerprint scanning technology, seemingly ahead of bringing Touch ID back to the iPhone, according to a newly-published patent application.

iPhone 12 Touch ID Feature Img

The patent application, first spotted by Patently Apple and filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, is titled "Under-display fingerprint sensing based on off-axis angular light" and explains how an under-display fingerprint scanner can be made more accurate and reliable. Apple describes its technology as an "enhanced under-display fingerprint sensing" system that, unlike many other existing under-display fingerprint scanners used on Android devices, uses "off-axis angular light" to read fingerprints more effectively without increasing the size of the components.

Most optical under-display fingerprint scanning systems use light emitted from the device's display to illuminate the fingertip of the user, which is reflected off of the fingerprint and back through tiny openings between the display pixels. A sensor beneath the display can then read the fingerprint and authenticate the user.

Due to the "low-light throughput and diffraction" caused by the display stack, the fingerprint image is liable to suffer from low contrast and low signal-to-noise ratio, making it harder to read the fingerprint and potentially increasing the time it takes to authenticate a user.

To overcome this problem, Apple proposes a system in which the off-axis angular light from the finger is captured via a series of "angle-dependent filtering options between the display and the sensor." This method can "improve the contrast of fingerprint impressions and maintain the compactness of the entire sensing system," according to Apple.

off axis under display fingerprint scanner patent

Specifically, Apple's system includes "a light-emitting layer covered by a transparent layer and configured to illuminate a surface touching the transparent layer and to allow transmission of reflected light rays from the surface to underlying layers." An optical coupling layer below the display "bends the reflected light rays" that are then received by a collimator layer and interpreted by a pixelated image sensor.

The examples listed in the patent note focus on OLED being the display technology of choice for the system, which is the current display technology used on the entire ‌iPhone‌ 12 lineup. Apple has been long-rumored to bring under-display Touch ID to the ‌iPhone‌, so the patent application may indicate that progress on the technology is advancing behind the scenes.

Apple is said to be planning to implement a fingerprint scanner under the display of at least one high-end ‌iPhone‌ in 2023, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, but Barclays analysts have recently suggested that the feature will "likely" arrive as soon as this year on the ‌iPhone‌ 13.

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Top Rated Comments

LoveToMacRumors Avatar
48 months ago
Touch id is my buy or not buy feature, if it has it, I will purchase the next iphone, if not, i will wait
I have been using the iPhone X since it came out with passcode, patiently waiting for touch id comeback.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
HerbertDerb Avatar
48 months ago
I suspect if it isn't close to perfect, apple will not implement it.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
48 months ago
Cannot wait! This is a most requested feature! We will wait Apple.

Let it be September already
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
alexandr Avatar
48 months ago

Touch ID was brilliant. I am waiting for them to bring it to Apple Watch.
dude, you need to unlock it ONCE per wear, do they really need to make touch id for the watch?..
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
munpip214 Avatar
48 months ago
Good thing it is “enhanced”. Definitely wouldn’t settle for a normal version
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
tridley68 Avatar
48 months ago
Not sold on the idea I like facial recognition better.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)