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Rumour: Apple Could Drop Touch ID Altogether From iPhone 8 Due to Production Problems

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MacRumors reports today on a new research note from Pacific Crest Securities equity research analyst Andy Hargreaves that says that problems with integrating the Touch ID fingerprint sensor underneath the iPhone 8 display could force Apple to remove Touch ID altogether from the new phone.

This ties in with an earlier report from JPMorgan analyst Rod Hall, who said back in February that Apple would be replacing Touch ID with facial recognition via a front-facing 3D laser scanner. At the time, Hall said that Apple would have to remove the home button in order to accommodate the iPhone 8’s edge-to-edge display.

However, MacRumors notes that it is unlikely that Apple would do away with Touch ID altogether as it is such an integral part of Apple Pay, and that it is therefore more likely that 3D facial recognition or iris recognition would be more of an accompaniment to fingerprint authentication than a total replacement for it.

However, it has to be said that Hargreaves sounds very impressed with Apple’s 3D recognition solution, saying that suppliers believe it to be “both fast and highly reliable, even in low-light scenarios or from odd angles.” Therefore, he says, relying entirely on “3D sensing for biometric login and verification could be a viable and innovative replacement for the highly popular fingerprint sensor.”

One thing’s for sure, Apple must start making some decisions on this matter very soon. With this in mind, Hargreaves also puts forward another possible solution for Apple in today’s report, which would be for the company to delay the start of iPhone 8 production until it has perfected the under-display Touch ID sensor. But this could cause significant delays, as Hargreaves adds that Apple has already evaluated and turned down Synaptic’s Touch ID sensor solution, and has yet to make any firm orders with any other manufacturer.

iPhone X concept Gabor Balogh

Sources: iPhone 8 Without Touch ID Doubtfully Called One 'Likely Option' if Apple Can't Place It Under Display

iPhone 8 Expected to Have 3D Facial Recognition Instead of Touch ID
 
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