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Apple could bring back Touch ID in next iPhone due to COVID masks

The pandemic has brought in billions for the world’s most valuable company – and could also prompt the return of a feature it had previously replaced.
Touch ID could make a return as the prolific use of masks make face recognition technology tricky. Picture: Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty ImagesSource:Getty Images

Touch ID could make a return as the prolific use of masks make face recognition technology tricky. Picture: Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty ImagesSource:Getty Images

Apple could bring back fingerprint scanners on the iPhone as soon as this year.

The firm abandoned Touch ID on its flagship phones in favour of Face ID with the iPhone X back in 2017, although you will still find it on the cheaper iPhone SE, Macs and some iPad models.

Face ID allowed Apple to fit bigger, full-faced screens on the iPhone at the expense of the traditional Home button.

But now the wearing of face masks due to the coronavirus pandemic is so widespread, Face ID is less useful than it used to be.

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Masks and Face ID do not get along.
Masks and Face ID do not get along.Source:Supplied

 

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Bloomberg reports that Apple is racing to reintroduce Touch ID for 2021 models of the iPhone.

The upgrade is only in “testing” at the moment, so it’s not guaranteed.

But it could be a major boon to Touch ID fans who sorely miss the ease of tapping their iPhone to unlock it.

But more expensive versions of the iPhone could get a souped-up fingerprint scanner later this year.

Importantly, this new version of Touch ID wouldn’t require a Home button.

Instead it would be built into the screen, hidden below the display.

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A customer sets the Touch ID of his new iPhone at an Apple store in Madrid in 2016. Picture: Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images
A customer sets the Touch ID of his new iPhone at an Apple store in Madrid in 2016.
Picture: Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty ImagesSource:Getty Images

 

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Rival smartphone makers like Samsung have been using under-screen fingerprint readers for years but the technology has never appeared in an Apple product, likely due to concerns the technology is not where it needs to be, as the under-screen readers can suffer from performance issues, lag and problems caused by applied screen protectors.

But Qualcomm, which supplies parts for smartphone makers like processors and 5G modems, recently announced a faster under-display fingerprint reader.

The two companies have had a frosty recent history but it’s possible you could find that new reader under the next iPhone’s screen.

This means Apple could still fit a giant screen to the iPhone – just like all iPhone X-style handsets to date.

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You still find Touch ID in the iPhone SE.
You still find Touch ID in the iPhone SE.Source:Supplied

 

Face ID is still unlikely to go away.

When an iPhone owner isn’t wearing a mask, Face ID tends to be quicker for unlocking phones.

The sensors are also useful for various augmented reality and photography features.

Of course, Apple hasn’t confirmed that Touch ID is coming back to the iPhone.

And even if the reports are true, Apple could still scrap the feature before this year’s big iPhone launch.

This article originally appeared on The Sun and was reproduced with permission

Source: News Corp Australia Network:

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