Will Apple ever equip one of its iPhones with an under-display fingerprint scanner? This is a question that has been asked a lot and on which sources have not agreed so far. But now there's more evidence of that, as Apple just got a related patent, but don't expect that on the iPhone 14.
The patent, spotted by Patently Apple, relates to fiber optics under the display, which could be used to accurately capture fingerprint data.
Apple's method seems designed to reduce optical transmission loss compared to other solutions, which could mean scanning your fingerprints would be faster and more accurate. But the details of the patent are less interesting than the fact that Apple patented the technology, as it suggests that (*15*) ID below the display may be in the works.
However, there are some caveats. First of all, a lot of stuff is patented and a lot of it never sees the light of day in products, so just because Apple is exploring an idea doesn't mean we'll see it happen.
Granted, we wouldn't expect (*15*) ID not to show up in the iPhone 14 lineup, as there's not much sign of it yet, though an early leak pointed in that direction. But we may be able to see it on the iPhone 15 or beyond.
The other caveat is that while the focus of this patent appears to be fingerprint scanning, the technology also mentions facial recognition applications, so in other words it could allow sub-face identification to be displayed, which is something. than there is much more evidence that Apple is working
So we might see that instead (or too), but since the leaked images show visible Face ID components on the iPhone 14 lineup, that's probably more than a year away, too.
Analysis: (*15*) ID would be nice, but probably won't happen
While there has been talk over the years that Apple is working on (*15*) Under-Display IDs, the most recent leaks suggest that won't happen. So while this patent offers some hope for a future (*15*) ID, the bulk of the evidence is still against it.
It's a bit embarrassing, because there are situations where Face ID just isn't that great, like when you want to unlock your phone without tilting it in front of your face.
Still, those occasions are likely to be rare for most people, and now that Face ID works even with a mask, there are some major drawbacks to the system, so while the (*15*) ID option is appreciated, it is far from essential and is therefore unlikely to be a target for Apple.