It’s been five years since Apple launched Face ID, stripping major iPhones (and eventually iPads) of Touch ID-enabled fingerprint scanners. At the time, there was an endless stream of rumors that this year might be the year Touch ID returns. But according to Mark Gorman, you shouldn’t bet that happening to the iPhone 15.
Gorman said the same thing in his latest book employment (Opens in a new tab) The newsletter, during an exclusive Q&A section for subscribers, noted that he believes Face ID is here to stay and that Touch ID won’t return to flagship iPhones for the foreseeable future.
Gurman claims that Apple has been discussing the possibility of reintroducing Touch ID. The company is said to have been testing in-display fingerprint scanners, and has considered adding fingerprint recognition to the power button — as it did with the iPad Air 2020 and iPad mini 2021.
Gurman suggests that we might see Touch ID move to the power button on a future iPhone SE model. The logic here is that it will mimic the split we already have between Face and Touch ID on high and low iPads. But Gurman is quick to point out that he hasn’t heard anything about this, and is just speculating.
Back when Face ID was introduced on the iPhone X, there were rumors that Apple wanted to include an in-screen fingerprint scanner as well. But that was in 2017, before in-display fingerprint scanners could be found on anything other than concept phones. Things have changed in the years since, and now almost every Android system has a fingerprint scanner.
iPhones with Face ID have since been suspended. The only exception was the iPhone SE 2020 and iPhone SE 2022, which lack a near edge-to-edge display, sticking to the classic Touch ID-enabled home button last seen on the iPhone 8.
Of course, the facial recognition system has changed and improved over the years. For example, the iPhone 14 Pro has reduced the necessary sensors more than ever – leaving us with a relatively small footprint of the dynamic island.
For what it’s worth, Apple has always maintained that Face ID is inherently more secure than Touch ID ever. So we’ll never see the company change course, killing Touch ID-ready Face ID to make a victorious comeback. But that doesn’t stop Apple from offering both, and giving users a choice between the two.
Other phone companies have gone this route, with limited success. Although it can be shown that they did not put much time and effort into developing facial recognition. Not in the same way Apple did, anyway. It’s another thing that can help iPhones stand out, not that the company needs a lot of help selling new units.
It’s not clear why Apple has such a vendetta against Touch ID, and Gurman didn’t elaborate on the matter. But all that means is that Face ID is here to stay, and it will be the only option without a passcode for the iPhone 15 and later.
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