Apple Watch Series 6 Could Feature Touch ID Fingerprint Sensor, Pulse Oximetry and Sleep Tracking Support

[MacRumors]

The upcoming Apple Watch Series 6 set to be released this fall could include a Touch ID fingerprint sensor built into the crown of the device, according to Israeli site The Verifier, which cites "senior sources" who have worked with its staff for a "number of years" as the source of the rumor.

It's not clear how the alleged Touch ID fingerprint sensor would be implemented, as the Digital Crown is already used for capturing an ECG in the current Apple Watch models with an included electrode.

A Touch ID fingerprint sensor sounds like somewhat of an odd feature to add to the Apple Watch, but it could potentially alleviate the need for a PIN when putting on the Apple Watch in the morning. The Apple Watch already unlocks when the iPhone is unlocked, but unlocking it on a standalone basis requires a numerical code to be entered.

The Apple Watch itself also uses skin contact as a biometric authentication option for Apple Pay payments and other functions. In the Apple Watch Series 7, The Verifier claims that the Touch ID fingerprint sensor will be relocated to the display, but two drastic Touch ID tweaks in two years may be questionable as Apple tends to make fewer changes to Apple Watch hardware.

Apple's next-generation Apple Watch is also said to include an improved battery, broader support for LTE, and support for WiFi 6.

The Verifier also outlines some of the features coming to watchOS 7, many of which we've heard before. watchOS 7 will allegedly include a "fresh design," updates to built-in apps, and improvements to Siri, with little other information included.

Echoing other rumors, The Verifier says Apple is working on pulse ox monitoring for the Apple Watch and sleep tracking capabilities. Pulse oximetry support would allow the Apple Watch to measure the oxygen levels in the blood, making sure a person's oxygen saturation does not drop to a dangerous level, which can be indicative of a serious and immediate problem that needs to be addressed.

Sleep tracking is a feature that we've heard a lot about in recent months, with Apple expected to introduce sleep monitoring capabilities in the near future. Sleep tracking would measure metrics like time asleep and sleep quality.

According to The Verifier, watchOS 7 will be compatible with the Apple Watch Series 3 and later, with Apple planning to drop support for the Apple Watch Series 2 and earlier.

The Verifier last week claimed that tvOS 14 will feature a new Kids Mode with content geared towards children and a Screen Time feature to measure time spent watching TV.

In the past, The Verifier has shared some questionable information that has not panned out, so it's worth viewing these rumors with some skepticism until confirmed by another source.

Article Link: Apple Watch Series 6 Could Feature Touch ID Fingerprint Sensor, Pulse Oximetry and Sleep Tracking Support

 

[Dulcimer]

An FP sensor built into the display would be ideal but doesn’t seem that necessary altogether.

 

[B4U]

"The Apple Watch itself also uses skin contact as a biometric authentication option for Apple Pay payments and other functions. In the Apple Watch Series 7, The Verifier claims that the Touch ID fingerprint sensor will be relocated to the display, but two drastic Touch ID tweaks in two years may be questionable as Apple tends to make fewer changes to Apple Watch hardware."

Series 7?
Or is it supposed to be series 6?? ?
Editorial error or simply questionable rumor?

Edited...see post #9 below.

 

[markgpearse]

I wonder if there will ever be a way to measure blood pressure

 

[QCassidy352]

Better battery is really all I want. Pulse oximetry and sleep tracking are things I would never use. Biometric unlocking is great on a phone, which one typically locks and unlocks many times per day. I usually unlock my watch once, maybe twice per day, and I don’t see the point. (I do have a s5, so I’m probably not the intended audience for this.)

 

[shyam09]

"The Apple Watch itself also uses skin contact as a biometric authentication option for Apple Pay payments and other functions. In the Apple Watch Series 7, The Verifier claims that the Touch ID fingerprint sensor will be relocated to the display, but two drastic Touch ID tweaks in two years may be questionable as Apple tends to make fewer changes to Apple Watch hardware."

Series 7?
Or is it supposed to be series 6?? ?
Editorial error or simply questionable rumor?

From the website:

And what about Series 7?

Another tip we received is that Apple is already working on the next version of the watch that is expected to be released in 2021. While in Series 6, launched this year, the option of unlocking the watch will be added with a fingerprint embedded on the "crown" of the watch (the physical button on the side of the watch) in the next version ( Series 7?) Will support the fingerprint clock below the screen itself.

בלעדי: עדכון watchOS 7 יאפשר ניטור שינה ומדידת כמות החמצן בדם | The Verifier

הפעם אנחנו מביאים לכם חשיפה בלעדית עבור מה שאנחנו צפויים לראות בעדכון המערכת watchOS 7 המיועד לשעונים החכמים של אפל, וגם חומרה חדשה שצפויה..

translate.google.com

 

[dannyyankou]

If it unlocks automatically with your iPhone anyway, is Touch ID really necessary? I don’t even remember the last time I typed in my passcode.

 

[farewelwilliams]

sounds good. i'll upgrade from a series 4.

 

[B4U]

From the website:

בלעדי: עדכון watchOS 7 יאפשר ניטור שינה ומדידת כמות החמצן בדם | The Verifier

הפעם אנחנו מביאים לכם חשיפה בלעדית עבור מה שאנחנו צפויים לראות בעדכון המערכת watchOS 7 המיועד לשעונים החכמים של אפל, וגם חומרה חדשה שצפויה..

translate.google.com

Ah! Thanks for the clarification.
Signs that I needed more coffee when working from home...

 

[ersan191]

For what reason does it need Touch ID? For the 4 seconds after you put it on in the morning (assuming you haven’t already unlocked it with your phone)?

 

[whsbuss]

Hopefully, if oximetry and sleep tracking is in OS7, it makes it to the Series 4. Want to keep mine until a watch OS is no longer support. Apple gives very little in trade value IMO

 

[Marco0107]

Maybe TouchID will unlock local MacOS devices? It’s a drag to go back to my iMac and have to type in my password when I can unlock my iPhone, iPad and MacBook by just looking or touching.

I know... That read as though I am so entitled and spoiled.

 

[Greenmeenie]

Wake me up when the Apple Watch finally gets a camera. Until then meh

 

[whyamihere]

I'd really like body temperature measurement.

 

[The Game 161]

Wake me up when the Apple Watch finally gets a camera. Until then meh

Why will that be useful?

 

[Apple Knowledge Navigator]

I wonder if there will ever be a way to measure blood pressure

How do you propose this would work? That would have to be one fancy strap...

 

[unobtainium]

Pulse oximetry would be great to have, especially now.

 

[FreakinEurekan]

Off the top of my head, I can't think of anything a fingerprint sensor would be particularly helpful for. The watch unlocks with phone already, or a simple passcode entry. It detects if it comes off your wrist, so you can't use features like ApplePay if it's not unlocked already. That seems like a solution in search of a need to me.

 

[axantas]

For what reason does it need Touch ID? For the 4 seconds after you put it on in the morning (assuming you haven’t already unlocked it with your phone)?

It is all about convenience and a supplementary selling-argument. And it is 4 seconds of your life - every day, if you did not unlock with your phone.

But: How many "new features" of the past were questioned and are actually widely accepted and used as if they were here for ages...

 

[Veinticinco]

Another solution for a non-existent problem.

Note to Apple...have your brainiacs work on a truly game-changing feature, like incorporating non-invasive blood glucose monitoring technology instead.

 

[NufSaid]

Might make me buy. The sleep app I use now does an amazing amount of things.

Called AutoSleep.

 

[pelegri]

Off the top of my head, I can't think of anything a fingerprint sensor would be particularly helpful for. The watch unlocks with phone already, or a simple passcode entry. It detects if it comes off your wrist, so you can't use features like ApplePay if it's not unlocked already. That seems like a solution in search of a need to me.

Additional biometrics improves the security of the device and provides additional confidence that it can't be misused.

re: detecting when it comes out of your risk - I don't have one of the newer series, but in my watch it is relatively easy to pass it off from one person to another without locking it out by always keeping some skin contact. If you have a modern series, try passing it from one hand to the other and let me know what happens.

 

[The Game 161]

this product is so hard to improve as it’s so great. What else can they really add? For me the only thing I want to never worry about is battery life.

 

[konqerror]

Off the top of my head, I can't think of anything a fingerprint sensor would be particularly helpful for. The watch unlocks with phone already, or a simple passcode entry. It detects if it comes off your wrist, so you can't use features like ApplePay if it's not unlocked already. That seems like a solution in search of a need to me.

May be requirements for security with Apple Pay. The PIN entry unlocks, via CDCVM, full authentication of the Apple Pay card, just as if you had entered the PIN on a merchant's keypad. Unlike the merchant's keypad, the watch doesn't have keypad shields, tamper resistance, and keys with encryption, so PIN via CDCVM may be seen as considerably weaker, while biometric methods could be seen as equal or stronger.

 

[44267547]

If it unlocks automatically with your iPhone anyway, is Touch ID really necessary? I don’t even remember the last time I typed in my passcode.

I don’t buy this rumor at all. There’s no implementation for touch ID on a smart Watch. The only thing I can think of, is if they want to add a ‘security layer‘ of unlocking the Apple Watch with your fingerprint on the display itself, but I’m not sure how they would be able to implement that given the force touch module Fused to the OLED panel.