iPhone with a fingerprint reader integrated into the screen may now seem like a distant dream, but the Apple company is preparing for such a future, and in a new patent it describes such an implementation. We are talking about a fingerprint reader that would sit under the screen of an iPhone and allow the fingerprint to be scanned for unlocking by pressing on a certain portion of the screen, larger than in the case of current Android mobile phones.
The iPhone could also have an optical fingerprint reader, like the current models of Android phones available on the market, they are based on multiple cameras located under the screens of Apple phones. Fingerprint readers that use optical technology are not as accurate as those based on ultrasonic technology, and the iPhone could no longer be water resistant, so the description made in Apple's patent is a bit far from what could be implemented.
iPhone: Apple Wants In-Screen Fingerprint Readers
The iPhone has a much higher chance of having an ultrasonic fingerprint reader integrated by the Apple company, allowing not only a much more accurate reading for unlocking, but also allowing protection against contact with water. Another problem would be that the thickness of the iPhone would have to increase in order to be able to integrate the cameras under the iPhone screen in order to unlock it by reading the fingerprint, so the ultrasonic solution seems much safer.
"Apple's solution is similar to the optical in-display fingerprint readers currently available on some Chinese smartphones. It uses several cameras that are positioned beneath one of the layers of the display itself. These cameras would not be visible to the user, but they would be able to capture 3D image data of a fingerprint through the display in order to authenticate."
The iPhone currently has Face ID as a biometric security solution, but those at Apple know that they cannot sell phones with cutouts in the screen for many years, so they are looking for better solutions for customers. Reading fingerprints through the screen is what customers have wanted from the very beginning for the iPhone, and it's good to see that Apple is still looking for ways to give customers a much better experience using their mobile phones.
