The new tech could be announced next year

Apr 20, 2020 06:57 GMT  ·  By

Apple has brought back Touch ID with the release of the 2020 iPhone, and now it looks like the company is once again committed to fingerprint sensors.

According to several sources, an under-the-screen version of Touch ID is being developed for 2020, and it looks like a new iPad Air would be the first to use it.

A mysterious Twitter account, which seems to have accurately predicted some of Apple’s plans in the past, claims “the new iPad Air will be using the mini LED screen, comes with full screen with no notch, not Face ID, but Touch ID under the screen.”

As MacRumors notes, this tweet was published in March, at a time when the same account also published information about the new iPhone SE which eventually proved to be accurate.

Face ID for premium devices

Apple working on under-the-screen Touch ID, however, isn’t a new thing, as the company has been previously said to be planning a similar upgrade for its more premium iPhones as well.

The tidbit that Apple’s developing a fingerprint sensor that would be placed under the glass has also been confirmed by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, and 2021 seems to be the target for the whole thing to happen.

Of course, Apple investing in Touch ID once again doesn’t mean the company plans to kill Face ID. Not at all. The Cupertino-based tech giant is hard at work on improving Face ID, and right now, the strategy appears to come down to offering fingerprint sensors on more affordable products, while facial recognition would be exclusive to more premium devices.

More information on everything, however, is expected to make the rounds closer to the highly-anticipated 2021 launch of the under-the-display Touch ID, especially as Apple seems to be working on several major launches for the next year.