Apple might bring Touch ID back on iPhones in 2021

The iPhone X boldly killed Touch ID and replaced it with Face ID, but fear not: Apple might bring the beloved fingerprint sensor back. Eventually.

One of the most well-sourced Apple analysts, TF Securities’ Ming-Chi Kuo, says in his latest investor’s note (via 9to5Mac) that Apple will reportedly release iPhones with a new in-display version of Touch ID in 2021.

The 2021 iPhones won’t drop Face ID for the new in-screen fingerprint sensor, though — they’ll coexist on the same device.

Prior to the release of the iPhone X, Apple was rumored to be working on an in-display fingerprint reader for iPhones, but scrapped it due to poor responsiveness and reliability. Considering how crappy many in-display fingerprint sensors on Android phones are, Apple probably made the right call.

Upgrading the sensor game

There are still challenges for Apple to overcome. “Power consumption, size of the sensing area, thickness of the sensing module, and the production yield rate of the lamination process,” are cited by 9to5Mac as hurdles Apple hopes to clear with its new in-display Touch ID solution. 

Kuo believes Apple will solve many of these technical challenges within the next 18 months thanks to new innovations and previously unavailable technology. The analyst claims Apple’s Touch ID could be based on Qualcomm’s “3D Sonic Sensor” in-display fingerprint reader the chipmaker introduced with the Snapdragon 855.

As we previously noted, an ultrasonic sensor works differently compared to the optical in-display fingerprint readers found on many Android phones such as the OnePlus 7 Pro. Whereas an optical sensor illuminates your fingerprint from underneath the screen and matches it with fingerprint images stored on the device, an ultrasonic sensor uses high frequency sound waves to trace your fingerprint’s grooves and identify it.

Ultrasonic sensors come with the advantage of being more accurate, reliable, and secure. They’re also thinner than optical sensors and would be a better fit for the slim design tolerances Apple demands.

Another big change 

If Kuo’s reading of the tea leaves is correct, it’d mean Apple walking back on the brief era of iPhones — iPhone X, XS, XR, and whatever new iPhones come in 2019 and 2020 — that only have Face ID. 

While Touch ID’s return will likely make many iPhone owners happy — lots of people don’t like Face ID because it’s slower and not as responsive as a fingerprint scan — Apple would likely spin the feature as another layer of security for your iPhone data.

One biometric sensor is good, but two? That’s like having two-factor authentication turned on. And with Apple’s hard-line stance on privacy, you can bet good money it’s going to flaunt a Touch ID that’s complementary to Face ID as a major advantage over Android phones.

An in-display Touch ID could also make iPhones more competitive with Android phones, which all seem to have in-display fingerprint readers nowadays. Who knows, maybe Touch ID is enough to improve stagnant iPhones sales.

Of course, despite Kuo’s impressive track record, we’re talking about iPhone features that are two years out. And even though companies tend to lock in design and features at least a year before manufacturing begins, there’s still plenty of time for things to change.

Still, Touch ID returning to the iPhone? You gotta wonder if outgoing Chief Design Officer Jony Ive is rolling his eyes like a mad man.