Rumor mill: Apple is reportedly bringing back Touch ID on the iPhone 14 in 2022. However, Face ID will not be going away. Instead, the future flagship will have both biometric authentication methods integrated into the design.
According to iPhone tipster Mark Gurman, Apple has been testing "an in-display fingerprint scanner" in this year's prototypes. Unfortunately, the feature will not be ready for a fall release, so Apple is looking to implement it in 2022 phones.
Gurman's sources say that Face ID will still be featured on the iPhone 14 but will condense the sensors into a smaller front-camera notch. The insiders said that Apple plans to do away with the cutout entirely but did not share specifics on when. Ridding the phone of that terrible notch will be a blessing to those who have (myself included) been annoyed that their edge-to-edge screen is not E2E.
Some YouTubers have made wildly speculative renders of the iPhone 14 that are creative if nothing else.
The insiders were unclear on whether users could use the two authentications methods in tandem or if it will be a one-or-the-other choice. Bloomberg reached out to Apple for clarification, but a company spokesperson unsurprisingly declined to comment.
The iPhone 14 is still more than a year away, and anything can change between now and then. As always, take leaks from anonymous sources like this with a healthy dose of sodium chloride.
That said, I would not be unhappy to see Touch ID make a comeback. I have hated Face ID from day one, and the recent pandemic requiring me to wear a mask only made me hate it more. The iPhone X Max is the last iPhone I purchased for that reason alone. Even as a secondary option, bringing back Touch ID might allow me to consider upgrading, but we'll have to see if it makes Apple's cut in 2022.
Image credit: Lukenn Sabellano