Future iPhones May Have Touch ID Right on the Display
We have all seen those lame fingerprint sensor apps available on various app stores. They have been able to prank a lot of folks into downloading them. But Apple seems to have cracked the code to bring display-based Touch ID into reality.
In a patent titled “Fingerprint Sensor in an Electronic Device,” the company explains the technology. According to the abstract, a fingerprint sensor may capture fingerprint at a single pre-defined fixed location on a display, or they can opt for a full panel fingerprint sensor to capture multiple fingerprints.
The Fingerprint sensor can be placed at one spot on the display or it can scan multiple fingers at once.
Users may be able to unlock their device by placing a thumb at a predetermined spot on their iOS displays. On bigger displays like the iPad, there can be multiple fingerprint detection where you may scan with all five fingers.
To keep the sensors sensitive enough, Apple plans to implement the sensor as an integrated circuit connected to a bottom surface of a cover sheet. They can also place it near the bottom surface of the cover sheet, or connected to a top surface of a display.
This initiative will let Apple take off the round home button and make the device even slimmer. The technology still seems to be in the beginning stage and may not show up immediately on the next device by Apple. There will surely be some privacy concerns with this technology though as a thief could gain access to a person’s information by just acquiring their fingerprints. Apple would have to work seriously on the security features before it can bring the technology in the mainstream.
