Future Apple Watch Could Gain Touch ID and Under-Display Camera

[Internet Enzyme]

Seems like Apple Watch gets a lot of the display innovations first: OLED, LTPO, and now under-display camera. However, where the Apple Watch is lagging is TrueTone and Night Shift. May sound silly, but the Apple Watch screen looks noticeably blue and uncomfortable to me at night.

 

[JamesBrock]

I would hope they wouldn't make you use the Touch ID every time you need to open an app on the watch, but I can imagine a few cases that the Touch ID would be an improvement on the watch. Payments, Open secure apps (like bank app), unlocking when first putting on.

For those that are complaining that the touch id doesn't work for them, you won't have to use it. You didn't have to use it on the iPhone.

 

[ipedro]

if they would make TouchID "mandatory" for eg Apple Pay - I will ditch the Apple Watch ... I had a 50-60% success rate on iPhone and on my MBP it's slightly better but still <75%

There must be something different about your fingers than the general population. Touch ID rarely ever fails. If it had a 50% failure rate, it would never have been as successful as it was. Are you a cook by any chance? People who work in a kitchen tend to build up tolerance for heat on their fingertips, which has the side effect of flattening the ridges in their fingerprints.

 

[lclev]

No camera and no touch id. IMO - not needed. Touch ID works about 50% of the time for me. The older you get the more lines develop and also my prints are very light anyway. Background checks are always a hassle for me as getting a clear set of prints are tough for them to get. I have to have one yearly to work with kids. I would rather have better battery life or more health monitoring apps.

 

[paradox00]

I would hope they wouldn't make you use the Touch ID every time you need to open an app on the watch, but I can imagine a few cases that the Touch ID would be an improvement on the watch. Payments, Open secure apps (like bank app), unlocking when first putting on.

For those that are complaining that the touch id doesn't work for them, you won't have to use it. You didn't have to use it on the iPhone.

The watch has limited space and limited battery life already. It doesn't have room for bad ideas. What security would you be adding? When you restart your phone or it hasn't been unlocked for a while, you have to enter your pin anyway.... because it's more secure than biometrics.

 

[jz0309]

There must be something different about your fingers than the general population. Touch ID rarely ever fails. If it had a 50% failure rate, it would never have been as successful as it was. Are you a cook by any chance? People who work in a kitchen tend to build up tolerance for heat on their fingertips, which has the side effect of flattening the ridges in their fingerprints.

Extremely dry, and not a cook.
When I did the TSApre it took them 20 min to get my finger prints and I have similar stories with other agencies

 

[rmoliv]

I don’t want a camera on my Watch!!!

 

[Gorms]

That touchID button on the iPad Air is going somewhere else I’m sure of that and this is as good as any even if it’s just for pin unlock first thing in the morning.

I always assumed the Watch would be the testing ground for any under screen touchID they did. Guess these paents make it clear Apple is thinking less and less about the under screen option?

 

[Runs For Fun]

I was thinking the same thing. I hope they make this an optional layer of security. “Light” security being the passcode if it leaves the wrist, and Touch ID if you want “heavy” security

I think it would only be required after leaving your wrist like the passcode is now. It wouldn't be required every time you look at your watch.

 

[MrPresident]

I’m not certain that these two innovations are necessary for the Apple Watch.

I doubt I’d get much use out of a camera, maybe there is demand for it.

Touch ID seems like a very grandiose replacement of the pin entry. I use it about twice a day and don’t see it massively improving security of payments. Again, maybe it has use for some one.

It’s obviously a matter of opinion but wouldn’t the watch benefit from different technology? If not, could it have a slimmer design?

 

[Rojaaemon]

You know, I have one simple request, and that is to have frickin’ laser beams attached to the Apple Watch.

 

[Mr. Awesome]

The camera on a Watch would more likely be used for asynchronous communication. Rather than long video chats, which nobody is going to do with their arm held up, it’d be used to send short video messages and responded to by the other party in a texting like interaction.

Like Walkie Talkie, but for video. Basically Marco Polo.

 

[ipedro]

Extremely dry, and not a cook.
When I did the TSApre it took them 20 min to get my finger prints and I have similar stories with other agencies

Sorry to hear about that. I’m sure you acknowledge that you’re an exception. Not going to give you thorough health advice on a tech forum but I work for a skincare company so I’ll leave this here: drinking lots of water and a good moisturizer does wonders for your skin. I dropped Coca-Cola in favour of carbonated water (SodaStream) and it’s changed me. Never going back. Good luck.

 

[LeadingHeat]

Everything will be the same mostly. Instead of typing your passcode you just touch the crown and the watch will remain unlocked as long as it is on your wrist. Plus it will make paying with Apple Pay even more secure.

It looks though like it’ll be on the side button, not the crown. Either way, yeah I hope they implement it like that instead of having things hidden until you “unlock” it with your finger like the iPhone does with Face ID. I assume they will implement it like you said though, just as a replacement for having to type in the password when it leaves your wrist.

Not much better than quickly tapping the side button twice though for Apple Pay, it’s about the same time waiting for it to scan my finger vs quickly double tapping the button to pay. Not a big deal either way I guess

 

[Slash787]

The Ming Chi Kuo inside me tells that the Touch ID will be added by 2022 and camera by 2024.

 

[LeadingHeat]

Seems pretty unlikely (in the short term at least) for a number of reasons: 1 - It's identifiable as an Apple Watch/Apple device when you see something that's a squircle, 2 - Square is better for information density, 3 - App compatibility and not having to have a bifurcated system of apps, 4 - Continued band compatibility, although I suppose they might be able to design a circular watch in such a way with some mounts or something that they could make it work. That said, if Apple gets the Watch to a certain maturation point and they want to freshen it up and appeal to a different segment, I could see them doing it eventually. It just seems unlikely to be anytime soon.

This, 100%. It’s undeniably an Apple Watch when you see it on someone. I think brand awareness is the biggest factor for Apple designs. Seeing it in a movie you go “oh look, there’s an iPhone!” Even subliminally it works.

But yeah I think if they’re going to shake up the design (which I hope they don’t for all the reasons you mentioned), I’d say they’d make it thinner far before changing the square shape. Keeping it as thick as it is (and has been, for the most part) has allowed them to pack more and more sensors in there with some wiggle room for the future. If they thin it now, it might constrain them to what’s possible down the road. Apple will most definitely will not make a product THICKER later on. Haha.

 

[seek3r]

please, no Touch ID, please ... never worked reliably for me ... and if there is a camera, Face ID would be SO much better ...

FaceID uses a fair number of sensors, I'd prefer not to have a notch on my watch, there's already a power button, touchID there or under the watch screen would be vastly better. Also, in the age of COV19 (and there's no gaurantee something similar wont happen in the future even once we manage to handle COV19) it's nice to not have to rely on having your face uncovered to use biometrics

 

[alexandr]

so all these years i've been holding off for an apple watch with a camera, and then a week after i finally break down and get one, you come out with this?! "how rude".

 

[kiensoy]

Now that is cool. The screen becoming transparent? For the camera to become visible? That’s crazy. Love to see this get implemented later on.

Hopefully this patent makes it harder for Samesung to rush a device to market and sour everyone’s taste towards tech like this.

Yes, it’s indeed crazy tech that’s already out there.

 

[CarlJ]

Please make it round, square watches are ugly. I hate the aesthetic.

Square only seems ugly to you because you’re used to round watches. They’re not inherently better. I hope Apple doesn’t go round.

 

[Veinticinco]

So what’s the point of Touch ID here? Replacing the passcode? How often does someone have to type the passcode on their Watch?

My S5 seems to prompt me to enter it regularly, when first putting on in the morning and also randomly when clearing notifications. Much more than my S4.

 

[SirChristopher]

Sweet! Finally I can leave my phone at home and just take my watch, particularly while jogging. The only thing that was holding me back was taking pictures in case of an emergency or a nature photo opportunity arose. Of course I suspect this tech or reach the phones as well?

I recently bought and subsequently returned a cellular capable Apple Watch because it simply didn't receive messages from non-Apple products unless it was near the phone. It would receive iMessages, but nothing else and it was so frustrating. I was also hoping to leave the phone at home 90% of the time, but this issue made the watch unreliable as a sole on-the-go communication device. Neither Verizon nor Apple could explain the problem.

 

[jz0309]

Sorry to hear about that. I’m sure you acknowledge that you’re an exception. Not going to give you thorough health advice on a tech forum but I work for a skincare company so I’ll leave this here: drinking lots of water and a good moisturizer does wonders for your skin. I dropped Coca-Cola in favour of carbonated water (SodaStream) and it’s changed me. Never going back. Good luck.

yes, I'm an exception but not alone as you can ee from various other replies ... and appreciate for your advice, I actually consume ~ 3 liters of water every day, but, moisturizer does not help with fingerprinting, been there, done that.

 

[macsrcool1234]

hopefully they'll add it. faceid is unreliable in a normal day and useless in the covid era

 

[sdwaltz]

I cannot think of a single reason to have a camera on the AW.