Return of Beloved iPhone Feature Off the Table Until iPhone 17
Touch ID will not return to the iPhone via an under-display implementation until the iPhone 17 at the earliest, a key report suggests.
In a September 2021 research note, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicted that Apple would launch at least one new iPhone model with an under-screen fingerprint scanner in the second half of 2023. According to Kuo's latest report on the matter, no new iPhone models released in 2023 or 2024 will adopt under-display Touch ID, meaning that 2025's "iPhone 17" lineup is the next set of devices that could see the return of the beloved authentication feature.
Apple apparently tested an under-screen fingerprint scanner for at least some iPhone 13 models, according to reports from The Wall Street Journal's Joanna Stern and Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, but the company seemingly decided not to move forward with the idea.
Under-screen Touch ID would have been most useful when Face ID did not work with masks, but iOS 15.4 introduced a new "Face ID with a Mask" feature on iPhone 12 models and newer to address this problem. There is still a strong argument to suggest that having both Face ID and Touch ID on an iPhone would provide users with more robust security and faster authentication.
There remains a possibility that Apple introduces an iPhone with Touch ID built into the Power Button, in line with the latest iPad, iPad mini, and iPad Air models. 2025's iPhone 17 Pro models are also rumored to introduce under-display Face ID technology, so under-display Touch ID could follow soon after.
Popular Stories
Apple released iOS 18.2 in the second week of December, bringing the second round of Apple Intelligence features to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models. This update brings several major advancements to Apple's AI integration, including completely new image generation tools and a range of Visual Intelligence-based enhancements. Apple has added a handful of new non-AI related feature controls as...
The current Apple TV 4K was released more than two years ago, so the streaming device is becoming due for a hardware upgrade soon. Fortunately, it was recently rumored that a new Apple TV will launch at some point next year.
Below, we recap rumors about the next-generation Apple TV.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman last week reported that Apple has been working on its own combined Wi-Fi and...
Wednesday December 18, 2024 11:39 am PST by
Juli CloverApple is no longer planning to launch a hardware subscription service that would let customers "subscribe" to get a new iPhone each year, reports Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
Gurman first shared rumors about Apple's work on a hardware subscription service back in 2022, and at the time, he said that Apple wanted to develop a simple system that would allow customers to pay a monthly fee to gain...
Contrary to recent reports, the iPhone 17 Pro will not feature a horizontal camera layout, according to the leaker known as "Instant Digital."
In a new post on Weibo, the leaker said that a source has confirmed that while the appearance of the back of the iPhone 17 Pro has indeed changed, the layout of the three cameras is "still triangular," rather than the "horizontal bar spread on the...
Wednesday December 18, 2024 10:05 am PST by
Juli CloverElevation Lab today announced the launch of TimeCapsule, an innovative and simple solution for increasing the battery life of Apple's AirTag.
Priced at $20, TimeCapsule is an AirTag enclosure that houses two AA batteries that offer 14x more battery capacity than the CR2032 battery that the AirTag runs on. It works by attaching the AirTag's upper housing to the built-in custom contact in the...
Apple on Monday seeded the first tvOS 18.3 beta to developers for testing. The update will likely be released in January. So far, there are only minor changes for the Apple TV, with one new feature and a few code changes discovered.
Below, we outline what is new in tvOS 18.3 so far.
Robot Vacuum Support in Home App
First, tvOS 18.3 will add robot vacuum support to the Home app on the...
Blackmagic today announced that its URSA Cine Immersive camera is now available for pre-order, with deliveries set to start late in the first quarter of 2025. Blackmagic says that this is the world's first commercial camera system designed to capture 3D content for the Vision Pro.
The URSA Cine Immersive camera was first introduced in June, but it has not been available for purchase until...
Apple is planning a series of "major design" and "format changes" for iPhones over the next few years, according to The Wall Street Journal's Aaron Tilley and Yang Jie.
The paywalled report published today corroborated the widely-rumored "iPhone 17 Air" with an "ultrathin" design that is thinner than current iPhone models. The report did not mention a specific measurement, but previous...
