Another patent has been obtained by Apple for an under-display fingerprint scanner that might one day be used in the iPhone. Just when you thought things couldn’t get any stranger in the Touch ID saga, they did. Despite the fact that Face ID is still available on the iPhone SE, users have been divided since the technology was removed from the company’s flagship phones in 2017.
‘Under display fingerprint detection based on off-axis angular light’ was published Tuesday by the USPTO and filed for by Apple in September.
Surfaces that come into contact with the light-emitting layer and are reflected into the transparent layer are illuminated, and light rays reflecting off of the illuminated surface may be transmitted to the lower layers. An optical connection layer, a collimator layer, and a pixelated image sensor are all included in the underlying layers of the device. Optoelectronic coupling layers bend and distort the light beams they receive, creating an array of parallel and perpendicular beams. The collimator layer has a number of holes for collimating the light beams that are received. Collimated oblique light rays are detected by the pixelated image sensor.
Isn’t it a convoluted way of saying that Apple is still looking at the possibility of using an under-display Touch ID sensor on the iPhone? We were originally led to assume that Apple’s greatest iPhone, the iPhone 13, or this year’s iPhone 14 may be the first to integrate the function. According to a report by Ming-Chi Kuo in September, the feature may not be released until 2019.
A function like this might be useful for electronic device certification and authentication, according to an Apple patent. There is always the proviso that just because a concept is on paper doesn’t mean it will appear in an Apple product doesn’t apply.
Using an unique fingerprint sensor on the top button that controls the device’s Lock Screen and power, Apple has managed to bring back Touch ID to the iPad Air. The new product was unveiled during Apple’s March presentation and is now available for pre-order and sale.
There are a number of issues with FaceID, not the least of which is that users may alter their look for different reasons. If FaceID is more secure, operates quicker and less likely to be compromised, the truth is that many online payment services and sites that need authentication in general are already using fingerprints instead.
Apple would have to have a fingerprint option even if FaceID is more secure and quicker. All of these are, of course, just views. Let us know what you think of TouchID’s current state, as well as whether you prefer FaceID or TouchID (or neither?).