Oliver Haslam on March 30, 2022, 11:48 pm

Kuo: Apple Is Now Unlikely To Add Under-Screen Touch ID To iPhones In Next Two Years

Despite initial rumors that Apple was potentially considering adding support for an under-screen Touch ID sensor to an iPhone as soon as this year, that isn’t something that has seemed likely for some months.

Now, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says that we probably shouldn’t expect that feature to arrive in the next couple of years, either.

Writing to Twitter, Kuo said that Apple may now not adopt Touch ID on flagship iPhones within the next two years, although it’s possible things could change.

I previously predicted iPhones would support under-display fingerprint sensing/Touch ID in 2023 at the earliest. But the latest survey indicates new iPhones in 2023 & 2024 may not adopt under-display Touch ID. Face ID with a mask on iPhone is already a great biometrics solution.

This news is notable because it was Kuo who originally pointed to a return of Touch ID this year. Interestingly, Kuo also points to the fact that the recent ability to use Face ID while wearing a mask makes Touch ID less of a requirement. Apple added support for using Face ID while masked in the recent iOS 15.4 update, although it is only available on iPhone 12 and newer devices.

As for this year, Apple is expected to announce as many as four new iPhones in or around September – the iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Max, iPhone 14 Pro, and iPhone 14 Pro Max – if rumors are correct.