Apple iPhone 14 won’t have under-display Touch ID fingerprint sensor

It’s long been rumoured that Apple might begin to offer both Touch ID and Face ID biometric security in a a future iPhone model, with Touch ID heading for beneath the display, though the latest report suggests this won’t be the case after all. 

Pretty much ever since Apple moved away from the Touch ID fingerprint sensor on its flagship phones to offering Face ID as the biometric technology for unlocking, there has been talk of it returning under the display. 

Despite most Android devices now offering under-display fingerprint sensors as standard these days, Apple has yet to go down this route. Even when Touch ID is present on devices without a home button, like the iPad Air (2022) and iPad mini 6, it’s within the power button rather than under the screen.

Industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo previously predicted Apple would eventually make the move to offer both Touch ID beneath the display and Face ID, and while he didn’t think it would happen before 2023, he has tweeted claiming he doesn’t think it will happen at all now.

Instead, Kuo now believes that the ability to use Face ID with a mask – a feature that launched with iOS 15.4 – is “already a great biometrics solution” and therefore Kuo appears to believe under-display Touch ID is no longer necessary. 

Of course, these are just predictions so there is certainly no taking them as gospel, but there are perhaps some grounds to what Kuo is saying, even if Face ID still has its annoyances at times. You can read all the rumours surrounding the iPhone 14 and what is still expected to come with the devices in our separate feature.