Well-connected Apple industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says Apple is unlikely to release any iPhone models with under-screen Touch ID within the next two years. Kuo’s comments came in a tweet on Wednesday.
Kuo said:
I previously predicted iPhones would support under-display fingerprint sensing/Touch ID in 2023 at the earliest. But the latest survey indicates new iPhones in 2023 & 2024 may not adopt under-display Touch ID. Face ID with a mask on iPhone is already a great biometrics solution.
Kuo in September 2021 predicted that Apple would launch at least one new iPhone model with an under-screen fingerprint scanner during the second half of 2023. However, his latest tweet indicates that things have changed.
There have been reports by multiple journalists that Apple did test an under-screen fingerprint scanner for some iPhone 13 models, but the company was apparently dissatisfied with it.
Many called for a return to Touch ID when the pandemic came and Face ID did not work for mask-wearing iPhone users. However, Apple addressed those concerns somewhat by introducing a new “Face ID with a Mask” feature in iOS 15.4 that worked with iPhone 12 models and newer.