By 2020, perhaps screen fingerprint and face recognition will coexist on the iPhone

In a few days we will welcome the new iPhone series of 2019. This is the third year of iPhone using Face ID facial recognition technology and the second year that Touch ID was completely cancelled (the year of iPhone X had iPhone 8 series).

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Although Touch ID has been replaced by Face ID structured light by Apple, it is not uncommon for people who use Face ID to miss Touch ID. For example, when lying on your side in bed or wearing a mask on a foggy day, Face ID is not as easy to use as Touch ID.

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Therefore, after trying structured light facial recognition, many domestic mobile phone manufacturers quickly turned to the development of screen fingerprints. Currently, screen fingerprints have become the most mainstream unlocking method for domestic mobile phones. However, there is recent evidence that Apple is developing its own screen fingerprint technology.

According to Bloomberg, Apple is working on researching the screen fingerprint technology that is currently popular among domestic mobile phone brands. This may mean that Touch ID will return in another way, and screen fingerprint unlocking will coexist with the current Face ID, providing consumers with more than one quick unlocking method.

Last month, well-known Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo also released a report with similar news. He also believed that screen fingerprint technology and Face ID facial recognition technology would support the iPhone at the same time, but he believed that Apple would not have the technology ready until 2021.

According to a report by Bloomberg, suppliers have demonstrated their ability to integrate the technology into the iPhone, but have not yet been able to successfully mass-produce it. People familiar with the plan said that Apple has developed the technology in 2020 iPhone test models, but the official release may have to wait until 2021.

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For Touch ID, in addition to being replaced by Face ID the year before last, this may be another major change for Touch ID. After acquiring AuthenTec, a pioneer in fingerprint recognition, Apple first launched the Touch ID fingerprint scanning function on the iPhone in 2013 and integrated the technology into the iPhone's Home button.

In addition to being used to unlock the device, Touch ID can also be used for payment and app download authorization. This fast and seamless experience has made the iPhone a leader in the market. However, with the launch of iPhone X in 2017, Touch ID was replaced by Face ID, which uses facial scanning technology. Face ID, which is based on structured light technology, has once again led the market trend.

Unlike the current mainstream screen fingerprint technology, according to people familiar with the plan, Apple's screen fingerprint recognition allows users to perform fingerprint recognition on most areas of the screen.

In May this year, Apple’s patent on screen fingerprint was exposed. The patent showed that Apple is developing full-screen fingerprint recognition technology. Although it may not be full-screen fingerprint recognition with no blind spots, it is expected to have a larger recognition area than the current mainstream screen fingerprint technology.

We won’t be able to use an iPhone that supports 5G this year, and we may not be able to use an iPhone with a screen fingerprint next year. However, Apple’s invitation letter this year also says “To Innovation”. What else do you expect from this year’s iPhone?