Face ID is here to stay (at least on the iPhone)

Over the last couple of years we have seen the steady transition to the holy grail of smartphone design: a flawless, edge-to-edge display. And while companies like Samsung are getting there faster by experimenting with under-display selfie cameras, Apple is being Apple and is doing it at its own pace. The Cupertino company has been gradually increasing the screen to body ratio of its iPhones for quite some time. The notch was first made smaller, then subsequently dropped in favor of the Dynamic Island.

But many still recall how this originally began – with the iPhone X and the elimination of the signature iPhone home button. The death of the latter also spelled the end of Touch ID and the rise of Face ID.

This is what originally enabled Apple to conform to the new standard in iPhone design. However, 5 years later, the need for a cutout for the Face ID sensors has become problematic in itself. While the company is developing under-display Face ID, under-display fingerprint readers are very much mainstream.

Hence, the question is whether Apple could relent and shift back to Touch ID. According to Mark Gurman, the final authority on all-things Apple, such a move is highly unlikely. This information was first brought forward via his Power On newsletter.

According to the tech pundit, Apple has indeed been experimenting with the idea of introducing an under-display fingerprint reader to the iPhone lineup. Additionally, the possibility of putting the reader in the power button was also explored.

However, neither of those prospects seem likely at the present moment. Gurman believes that Face ID “is here to stay” and that Touch ID “won’t be returning to flagship iPhones — at least anytime in the foreseeable future”. These comments were first covered by 9to5 Mac in a dedicated article.

It will be interesting to see how much this decision will delay the inevitable all-screen iPhone. Only time will tell.