Admittedly, I've known some folks who would love to use FaceID as an excuse to take off their mask. Even if only for a very brief moment.
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Recapping Rumors About Under-Screen Face ID and Touch ID on Future iPhones
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I am wearing a mask…and I am looking and looking and looking…and it doesnt. So much for your perfect experience
No Apple Watch huh? Your self imposed suffering is duly noted.
Why would I need to have an apple watch? I have a real one.
The challenge is in the software and making sure 2 biometrics can work seamlessly with apps and the secure enclave. I have a feeling that iOS cannot support more than one biometrics, because it never had to.
I'm wearing and Apple Watch and a mask and it has worked for over a year. Perfect solution.
Sure, but you're assuming every iPhone user must have an Apple Watch, and many iPhone users don't use any kind of watch, and don't need it or want it.
And that’s on them. People are crying about Face ID not working with a mask, get an Apple Watch, problem solved.
Where is a link to this super small FaceID tech? Apple reduced its size last year, they are not going to reduce it again this year, it took them a while to make it smaller, and Apple are trying to make components cheaper as manufacturing costs rise. I think the Notch will be the same size this year as last year,. Apple would not reduce the size of a major component just for one year and then reduce it again, I think its got about as small as it gets for now tbh untill it gets hidden under a screen or replaced completely which I cant see happening yet.
Three trillion dollar company can’t make it work with two different already-existing sensors? Hmmm. if all else fails, they could let people choose which they want - FaceID or TouchID.
Money doesn't make complex things into easy things like that. If you think it's easy, I'm sure you can apply a job at Apple.
Apple already made people choose. If they wanted TouchID, the option is to get the SE.
Do you understand how silly it is what you say?
Not really though. Explanations normally need a reason unless your some sort of populist politician ?
So, in light of one let’s go into depth. Face ID is ridiculously convenient because it works like magic and doesn’t require any user interaction with their device beyond gazing at the screen which is something they will do anyway. It removes all barriers to biometric security. It remains more secure despite scare stories about family members facial features or 3D printed masks fooling the sensor. What it does however do is take up a lot of precious space.
The sensor consists of an IR dot projector, an IR camera, the earpiece and a normal front facing camera. Miniaturising all that technology further is very difficult. The technology was derived from the original Xbox 360 Kinect peripheral. Apple brought the company behind it, Primesense in 2013. The Kinect was launched in 2010 and the iPhone X in 2017 so we can assume that behind the scenes research into making that all a lot smaller took place over a 6-7 year period. Going by further time scales it might take another such period of time to make it smaller again, leading to a 2024 release if at all possible.
If Apple’s design machine wants a notch cutout for a less intrusive front camera system then it may be that Face ID gets dropped entirely, despite being the better technology. It might be however that Apple keeps the notch and the rumours are wrong. In an era of indentikit phones that have to use their rear as a promotional tool to stand out, the notch provides Apple with a unique brand identity as recognisable as the iPod click wheel as a silhouette. Never underestimate the subtleties of instantly recognisable branding.
Touch ID isn’t the best biometric solution, being fooled by something as unassuming as Play Doh in the past. It is still very convenient though, particularly via the classic home button. There are users who do not like navigation gestures as they are not an obvious ux feature and require some learning, however small. The reason Apple put the home button on the OG iPhone was to act as a safety net or sorts. It didn’t matter where a customer was in the OS or which menu they were buried in, one press and they were back at their home screen. The majority of users are not tech enthusiasts, something the press and the community often forgets. The best design is invisible design (like Face ID) but sometimes it is helpful to have a barrier of entry to the user is aware they have initiated an action. Face ID works whether you want it to or not whereas Touch ID requires the user to physically interact with something, a feature that prohibits anxiety.
Sony’s Xperia phones have a fingerprint scanner in the power button on the side of the phone. Sony are a company famed for their rigorous industrial design and their phones are no exception. This is a company that still advertises its phone cameras in terms of XXmm equivalent like professional models rather than vague terms like ‘ultra wide’ (How wide exactly?) and builds full manual controls into its camera app, something Apple doesn’t even do on its allegedly ‘professional’ line of devices. Their build quality is every bit as good as Apple.
As nobody uses home buttons anymore on Android devices they have 3 types of fingerprint scanner: in-display, side and rear. In display scanners use ultrasound to detect fingerprints and are quite convenient but easily broken by screen scratches, dirt and moisture. Rear scanners use an index finger to log in but put one in the wrong place, such as the higher sensor on the Galaxy S8 and it becomes impossible to reach without having to move your phone grip, risking a drop.
Power button sensors are placed where your right thumb (or left index finger) would normally sit when holding your phone. They require no grip change to use and therefore lower the risk of dropping. Every user knows where the power button is on their device and so unlocking is done in the exact process of turning the screen on, removing that UX barrier for the user. It is therefore actually more convenient than having a separate fingerprint sensor to the power button as unlocking the device requires only one finger motion, not 2. The case for Face ID being superior to Touch ID is that it requires no steps to unlocking the phone, remember so removal of any barriers to the user is better design. (Unless you are the of the home button minority) The plethora of cases available for Sony phones would suggest that it is not a design problem for case manufacturers either.
To summarise Face ID is indeed the best current technology for biometric security but it does take up a lot of space. Of all the technologies available for fingerprint unlocking, housing the scanner in the power button is the most seamless as you would likely be pressing it to turn the phone on anyway. Apple already figured this out with the iPad Mini and Air lines so this would suggest they are warm to the idea. If Apple want more screen real estate via a notch then a power button fingerprint sensor is the only logical replacement for Face ID (which is still better!)
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This isn’t complicated Apple. Add the Touch ID power button to Face ID. The under screen stuff if cool, but you have the tech already to have both. Do this for iPad Pro and the iPhones.
And dont talk about the watch unlock. Doesn’t help in the case of the iPad Pro.
Even before the pandemic these concerns were brought up and there is absolutely no reason not to have the option of using either authentication or both for maximum security.
And dont talk about the watch unlock. Doesn’t help in the case of the iPad Pro.
Even before the pandemic these concerns were brought up and there is absolutely no reason not to have the option of using either authentication or both for maximum security.
The effort to put in every information in one reply is highly appreciated. Analysis based on concrete information rather than just self thought of what's acceptable for himself must be same for everyone else in every other country. Hope people like you work at Apple.
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I sadly do not. They did actually headhunt me years ago to go work at the Apple Store but I said no as the hours were too late in the evening.
Touch ID on the power button works if everyone uses the same hand, has the same hand size and holds the phone the same. Moving that button to the top like the iPad Mini would require many users to use two hands to unlock it. The old Home button is on the bottom of the face for a reason — it's easy to press with a thumb from either hand in a comfortable grip. When Brand S tried locating the button on the back, that was universally loathed and the feature was dropped shortly thereafter.
Then there's the case issue. Cases with cutouts for the buttons exist but they're a bit of a pain to use. The ones with soft molded pads over the buttons work a bit better but the best cases have metal buttons allowing for a solid feel. Those extra-protection armor-like cases cannot coexist with Touch ID in the power button.
Those are the reasons that it will not happen. If Apple was stupid enough to design such a device and put a prototype in my one working hand (yes, really), I'd see what kind of impact it could survive as I threw it against a wall. I've been paid to test things for Apple in the past—don't ask; I signed NDAs.
As per the article that begat this thread, 'Under the screen Touch ID' was tried on some iPhone 13 prototypes but it didn't work well enough to make the release. Apple knows that people want it back and I hope they make it happen but I'm not holding my breath nor is it a deal killer for me. If that is the big feature on the 14, my wife and I won't be giving up my 13 Pro and her 13 Mini for that.
I don't give a damn about the notch, 'Under the screen Face ID' or any of that other nonsense that seems to get people worked up around here, most especially those who don't own current enough iPhones (X and later for this discussion) to have any practical experience in these matters.
But, yea, the return of Touch ID would be nice. I don't believe for a second that Apple will discontinue Face ID — it's too good.
My 2 cents. Outta here…
If Apple put a Touch ID sensor in the power button they would likely keep the power button where it is now, if not lowering it by 10-15mm. This allows RH people to use their thumb and LH people to use their index finger to unlock the device. Cases are fine. Pop on Amazon and look at any Sony Xperia case; nobody complains about the cutout for the fingerprint sensor/power button.
I'm sorry but that's too funny. I suppose that you have to be handicapped to know why, an unfortunate disadvantage that I have over you. And no, you do not get to explain that to me.
My explanations as to why it will not happen are fine and time will tell if I'm right, not you.
Respectful reply: I work in design. Explain it to me from a product design point of view why someone who is handicapped would be limited by a Touch ID sensor in the existing power button?