Apple’s iPhone 13 could include a fingerprint sensor on the display

Apple is working on on-screen fingerprint technology for the iPhone 13, a feature that would be available alongside Face ID as a secondary biometric option, according to The Wall Street Journalis Joanna Stern. Stern shared the information in a piece on the features of the Samsung Galaxy S21 that could be incorporated into next-generation iPhones.

I’ve heard a few other rumors about Touch ID on-screen functionality from reliable sources, such as Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo and BloombergMark Gurman, both said that this is a feature that Apple is considering adding to the new iPhone. A secondary ‌Douch ID useful option would be useful for situations where the face ID is not optimal, such as when wearing a face mask.

According to Stern, she learned from a former employee who said the company works with optical sensors for reading fingerprints on the screen, which “may be more reliable” than an ultrasound solution.

Optical fingerprint sensors in the display work using light, and on Android phones that have adopted this technology, the screen lights up with a fingerprint icon, where you have to place a finger to provide light, and a camera creates a finger image. Optical sensors can be easily fooled because they use a 2D image.

Ultrasonic fingerprint sensors are a newer technology and use small sound waves to create a 3D map of a fingerprint, a safer solution that is not easily fooled and one that works better when your fingers are wet. However, ultrasonic fingerprint detection technology is much more expensive.

The “Touch ID” start buttons that Apple has used on the iPhone, iPad and Mac are capacitive. Capacitive sensors use a series of tiny capacitors to create a fingerprint data map that is hard to fool because it does not use a straight fingerprint image.

It’s worth noting that there are hybrid optical-capacitive sensors, so if Apple offers an optical solution, the “Touch ID” functionality will not necessarily be as insecure as some optical sensors used by Android manufacturers. In fact, Apple is very unlikely to use a standard optical sensor, but an optical-capacitive hybrid would combine the benefits of fast scanning of the optical sensor with the security of a capacitive sensor, and this system could not be easily fooled. .

Stern says that according to its source, any of the solutions that Apple decides to adopt will have to meet the security standards of its current ‌Touch ID‌ Home button, so there will be no downgrade of functionality.

Although the Stern source says that Apple is working on optical technology, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes that Apple will use ultrasound technology. He said GIS will provide “large area ultrasound detection” technology for Apple, with Qualcomm providing an ultrasound and lamination module. For what it’s worth, Apple has also patented the “acoustic” Touch ID functionality, which would work on the screen.

Regardless of the implementation, returning “Touch ID” to “iPhone” would be welcome, as it would provide more authentication options for unlocking “iPhone” in different situations, as well as an extra layer of security. So far, we have no confirmed rumors that this is a technology that is sure to come on next-generation iPhones, nor is it clear that all iPhones in 2021 would receive the technology, especially if a more ultrasonic solution is used. expensive.