iPhone 13 will reportedly skip Touch ID — and that would be bad
Early rumors have suggested that the iPhone 13 would be the first non-SE iPhone to have Apple’s Touch ID fingerprint authentication since the iPhone 8. But unfortunately it looks like the feature won’t be ready to debut this September.
A report from Bloomberg claims that while Apple has been experimenting with the kind of in-screen fingerprint readers that have become commonplace on Android, “that feature will likely not appear on this generation.”
That’s not only disappointing for those who simply prefer using their fingerprint. While we all hoped the coronavirus pandemic would be firmly on the decline by this stage, there are worrying signs that the Delta variant could ensure our list of the best face masks becomes relevant again — and that spells trouble for Face ID.
The trouble with masks
Though people were no doubt sceptical when the iPhone X dropped the Touch ID-enabled Home button and introduced Face ID in its place, critics were quickly won over by how well Apple’s facial authentication worked. It has only got better over time, and now Touch ID is present on just the iPhone SE and a lot of the iPad range.
But then coronavirus came along, and the need to wear masks in public became paramount. It quickly became apparent that Face ID would struggle to recognize people if their mouth and nose were covered. While there are workarounds to use Face ID as a mask wearer, it’s still an inconsistent experience.
