Next iPhone’s 3D Facial Recognition to Replace Touch ID: Report

Apple may be giving up on integrating a fingerprint sensor into the display of its next major iPhone – and may be giving up on Touch ID entirely.

The new rumors come by way of Bloomberg, which cites “people familiar with the product” in reporting that Apple is indeed working on a 3D facial recognition system for this year’s flagship Apple device. While that particular bit of speculation recently got more solid backing from a noted Apple components supplier, at least one of Bloomberg’s sources is now claiming that the facial recognition system is meant to replace fingerprint scanning entirely.

According to the source, the facial recognition feature can authenticate users within a few hundred milliseconds, even if the iPhone is lying flat on a desk and not directly facing its users. The system’s depth-sensing technology will help to counteract potential spoofing, and it may be paired with eye scanning for added security.

The new leaks come after reports that Apple was having trouble integrating its Touch ID fingerprint sensor into the new iPhone’s display, which Bloomberg reports will be an OLED screen. While components provider Qualcomm recently announced that it had developed an in-display fingerprint sensor that could scan through OLED screens, it said that the technology would not be available to OEMs until next year; so it may be that the state of the art simply cannot keep pace with Apple’s release schedule.

Of course, the next iPhone hasn’t even be officially announced yet, so all of this remains speculation, however well-founded.

Sources: Bloomberg, AppleInsider, Independent