Touch ID May Return In 2021 iPhones: Report

Apple may bring back a beloved authentication feature removed from its recent iPhones and will remove a standard feature found on all of its handsets from the very first model until last year’s lineup, a report says.

Amid claims that the Cupertino tech giant is working on its first foldable device that will go toe-to-toe with devices from Samsung and Motorola, Bloomberg reported that Apple is “currently focused on launching its next-generation flagship iPhones and iPads later this year.”

Those expecting to see major upgrades to the 2021 iPhone lineup, however, may be disappointed to know that the handsets could feature incremental updates in lieu of big jumps in hardware and performance.

This is because, as per Bloomberg, Apple already introduced a slew of major upgrades to the iPhone 12 lineup released in 2020, including a physical design reminiscent of the iPhone 4 and also highly similar to the iPad Pro, 5G connectivity, its best camera setup yet and more.

The outlet’s sources said that instead of going for the iPhone 13 series, Apple will go with the “S” naming scheme it used in previous models, indicating that the upcoming lineup will feature minor updates over the existing models.

This naming scheme should be familiar to all Apple fans as the company used this in some of its popular handsets in earlier years. It used this on the iPhone 4s, iPhone 5s and so on. These are but upgraded versions of their predecessors released the previous year.

That said, what kind of minor upgrade will the alleged iPhone 12s series include?

In-screen fingerprint reader

Most noteworthy of the changes reportedly included in the upcoming handsets will be the addition of an in-screen fingerprint reader that can be used for Touch ID.

Apple removed Touch ID from its handsets starting with the iPhone X, replacing it with Face ID. Other iDevices, however, had Touch ID – most notable of which is the recent iPad Air 4, which has a side-mounted fingerprint scanner embedded in its power button.

An in-screen fingerprint reader will also prove helpful, especially now that people are required to wear masks. Bloomberg indicated that Apple will not remove Face ID but will instead use both authentication features.

The lack of a charging port

The report also indicated that Apple might remove the iPhone’s charging port, something that has been there since the first iPhone. This had precedent – the MagSafe chargers introduced via the iPhone 12 lineup.