Could Apple reintroduce Touch ID in future devices?

A new report says Apple may be considering bringing back Touch ID fingerprint recognition to future devices. However, even if Touch ID does return to Apple devices, the company will make significant changes to the feature now that Apple has removed the physical Home button.

According to the latest news from Electronic Times, Samsung's upcoming Galaxy S10 flagship phone will be equipped with an ultrasonic under-screen fingerprint recognition system. Two suppliers, Interface and O-Film, will provide Samsung with under-screen fingerprint recognition sensors.

This is a relatively routine supply chain report that focuses on companies other than Apple. But interestingly, the DigiTimes report also mentions Apple - which brings us to the possibility that the Cupertino-based tech giant may implement embedded Touch ID in future devices. Specifically, Interface and OFILM are competing with another supplier, TPK Technology, to win touch module orders for future Apple iPad products. It is worth noting that both Interface and OFILM are current suppliers of iPad components.

Patently Apple was the first media to link Samsung's upcoming devices with under-screen fingerprint recognition to the possibility of future iPads adopting the same design. They believe that while the 2018 iPad Pro series has Face ID as the primary authentication method, Apple may retain Touch ID on low-end iPad models in 2019.

As Patently Apple notes, the question is whether Apple will equip its lower-end iPad models with under-screen Touch ID, such as the 9.7-inch iPad and the rumored upcoming refresh of the iPad mini series. There’s no hard evidence that Apple will actually do this, but it seems like a pretty reasonable move.

Face ID is expensive, and to some extent, Face ID is one of the "culprits" that pushed Apple to raise the starting price of the iPhone X to $999 last year. In contrast, Touch ID is much cheaper. Although the under-screen fingerprint recognition sensor may be more expensive than the previous Touch ID sensor, it is not as expensive as the Face ID component.

Continuing to use Touch ID may allow Apple to keep the price of the 9.7-inch iPad and iPad mini low, while changing their appearance design, allowing them to use an all-screen design similar to the iPad Pro and increase the screen-to-body ratio of the device.

Last year, before Apple released the iPhone X, it was widely expected that Apple would launch an iPhone model with an under-screen Touch ID sensor. At the time, under-screen fingerprint recognition was considered the best solution to achieve a full-screen iPhone and remove the Home button. As early as August this year, Apple applied for a patent for an under-screen fingerprint recognition sensor system. Although Apple said that they intended to use Face ID facial recognition technology on the iPhone X from the beginning, Apple may have done more in exploring under-screen Touch ID than we thought.

For Apple, reintroducing Touch ID seems to be a step backward, which conflicts with Apple's public position. But for users, if Touch ID fingerprint recognition can coexist with Face ID facial recognition, or as an option, it is actually acceptable.

Obviously, using two-factor authentication on the iPhone will make the device more secure, and those who don't like using Face ID can also return to using Touch ID to unlock the device, complete Apple Pay, etc. Introducing the under-screen Touch ID function cannot be said to be a step backward for Apple. This is just Apple borrowing from its past and adding a new feature to the device.