Apple Developing 'Enhanced' Under-Display Touch ID System

[MacRumors]

Apple is refining its as yet unused under-display fingerprint scanning technology, seemingly ahead of bringing Touch ID back to the iPhone, according to a newly-published patent application.

The patent application, first spotted by Patently Apple and filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, is titled "Under-display fingerprint sensing based on off-axis angular light" and explains how an under-display fingerprint scanner can be made more accurate and reliable. Apple describes its technology as an "enhanced under-display fingerprint sensing" system that, unlike many other existing under-display fingerprint scanners used on Android devices, uses "off-axis angular light" to read fingerprints more effectively without increasing the size of the components.

Most optical under-display fingerprint scanning systems use light emitted from the device's display to illuminate the fingertip of the user, which is reflected off of the fingerprint and back through tiny openings between the display pixels. A sensor beneath the display can then read the fingerprint and authenticate the user.

Due to the "low-light throughput and diffraction" caused by the display stack, the fingerprint image is liable to suffer from low contrast and low signal-to-noise ratio, making it harder to read the fingerprint and potentially increasing the time it takes to authenticate a user.

To overcome this problem, Apple proposes a system in which the off-axis angular light from the finger is captured via a series of "angle-dependent filtering options between the display and the sensor." This method can "improve the contrast of fingerprint impressions and maintain the compactness of the entire sensing system," according to Apple.

Specifically, Apple's system includes "a light-emitting layer covered by a transparent layer and configured to illuminate a surface touching the transparent layer and to allow transmission of reflected light rays from the surface to underlying layers." An optical coupling layer below the display "bends the reflected light rays" that are then received by a collimator layer and interpreted by a pixelated image sensor.

The examples listed in the patent note focus on OLED being the display technology of choice for the system, which is the current display technology used on the entire iPhone 12 lineup. Apple has been long-rumored to bring under-display Touch ID to the iPhone, so the patent application may indicate that progress on the technology is advancing behind the scenes.

Apple is said to be planning to implement a fingerprint scanner under the display of at least one high-end iPhone in 2023, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, but Barclays analysts have recently suggested that the feature will "likely" arrive as soon as this year on the iPhone 13.

Article Link: Apple Developing 'Enhanced' Under-Display Touch ID System

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

Cannot wait! This is a most requested feature! We will wait Apple.

Let it be September already

 

[HerbertDerb]

I suspect if it isn't close to perfect, apple will not implement it.

 

[iapplelove]

I suspect if it isn't close to perfect, apple will not implement it.

You give Apple too much credit.
Everyone does.

 

[munpip214]

Good thing it is “enhanced”. Definitely wouldn’t settle for a normal version

 

[honglong1976]

Touch ID was brilliant. I am waiting for them to bring it to Apple Watch.

 

[azentropy]

Mentioned it before, but one of the reasons I prefer TouchID over FaceID was because it was on a button you could feel it as you picked up the phone and could unlock it long before it ever needed to see your face (or choose not to). I'm curious to how Apple is going to address this or I can see a possible issue of it unlocking the phone when you really don't want it to. If like FaceID it still requires you to swipe up then that defeats why I like it better in the first place.

 

[Aaargh!]

I would love it if it worked on the full display, and was on all the time. Use FaceID to unlock the device (as it's more secure than TouchID) and then use TouchID to authenticate every single touch on the screen. So that even if someone grabbed your unlocked phone from your hand, they would only be able to see what is on the screen at that time, but not be able to interact with it in any way.

 

[tridley68]

Not sold on the idea I like facial recognition better.

 

[yaxomoxay]

Mentioned it before, but one of the reasons I prefer TouchID over FaceID was because it was on a button you could feel it as you picked up the phone and could unlock it long before it ever needed to see your face (or choose not to). I'm curious to how Apple is going to address this or I can see a possible issue of it unlocking the phone when you really don't want it to. If like FaceID it still requires you to swipe up then that defeats why I like it better in the first place.

They might just have a phone with both and leave the user the choice between either one or the combination of both.

 

[flopticalcube]

Most modern Android under-screen readers are pretty accurate. Never had issues with one except for older Samsung ones.

 

[reyesmac]

If Apple doesn't improve on an already existing technology it can't patent it and would have to pay someone else to use it. So every single one of Apples features will have some sort of enhancement in them.
As long as you don't need an absolutely clean surface to use it and can have screen protectors on it then good for them.

 

[LoveToMacRumors]

Touch id is my buy or not buy feature, if it has it, I will purchase the next iphone, if not, i will wait
I have been using the iPhone X since it came out with passcode, patiently waiting for touch id comeback.

 

[Rogifan]

Mentioned it before, but one of the reasons I prefer TouchID over FaceID was because it was on a button you could feel it as you picked up the phone and could unlock it long before it ever needed to see your face (or choose not to). I'm curious to how Apple is going to address this or I can see a possible issue of it unlocking the phone when you really don't want it to. If like FaceID it still requires you to swipe up then that defeats why I like it better in the first place.

I’m curious where Apple will go here. Is it going to be optional where you can choose to use Face ID or Touch ID? That seems un-Apple like. Normally Apple decides what they think the best solution is and implements it. Or are they going to pitch it as another layer of security where you’d use both?

 

[George Dawes]

I hope it works better than on my 8 plus , had to re do my fingerprint again today , it’s just daft

Face ID is so superior, it’s ridiculous

 

[jz0309]

TouchiID was useless for me and bringing it back in addition to faceid does not make sense due to cost ...

 

[alexandr]

Touch ID was brilliant. I am waiting for them to bring it to Apple Watch.

dude, you need to unlock it ONCE per wear, do they really need to make touch id for the watch?..

 

[alexandr]

Not sold on the idea I like facial recognition better.

um, i didn't think the idea was to replace face id, but to keep both.

 

[jz0309]

I hope it works better than on my 8 plus , had to re do my fingerprint again today , it’s just daft

Face ID is so superior, it’s ridiculous

I had to re-register my thumb every other week or so, I do not want it back either

 

[alexandr]

TouchiID was useless for me and bringing it back in addition to faceid does not make sense due to cost ...

it makes perfect sense given the pandemic, even if it was useless for you...

 

[Populus]

For me, Touch ID is key. Whenever Touch ID is implemented on the iPhone, I will purchase one again. Hopefully, when the mini is still on the lineup.

 

[alexandr]

I had to re-register my thumb every other week or so, I do not want it back either

do you spend a lot of time in a woodshop or something?..

 

[PocketRocketGQ]

I wonder how much it’s going to cost to have a broken screen replaced?

 

[n-evo]

I can only hope by the time the iPhone 13 is released we're done wearing face masks on a day-to-day basis here in Amsterdam.

 

[tgwaste]

Not sold on the idea I like facial recognition better.

facial recognition was the worst thing apple ever did. they should had just focused on touch id under the display to begin with and then we would had a better auth system WITHOUT the stupid notch.