Apple announced iPad Air 4 last year. To lower the cost, the company included Touch ID in the iPad Air’s power button. Now, a patent that covers Touch ID implementation in the power button has been updated by Apple, and it suggests that the future iPhones could come with similar technology.
The original patent that covered Touch ID in the power button was granted two years prior to its introduction in the iPad Air 4. The patent has since been updated showcasing an iPhone-like Lock Screen preview. The preview shows three stages of iPhone’s Lock Screen authentication — when the iPhone is waiting to be unlocked, when the authentication occurs, and when the authentication is complete.
Several parts of the patent have been updated suggesting the Touch ID in Power Button could be happening sooner or later. The patent contains the text, “Wherein the electronic device includes a button and the embedded fingerprint sensor is embedded in the button; wherein the button is a power button.”
The power button part was not specified original patent. Moreover, the new patent states, “Wherein detecting the first touch input includes detecting a contact on the button and detecting that the contact matches an authentication fingerprint,” which the iPhone-like Lock Screen preview showcases.
The updated patent was first spotted by PatentlyApple.
Kuo, back in 2020, suggested that the iPhone SE 2021 could with a ‘side-mounted Touch ID scanner.’ However, due to the worldwide pandemic and other delays, the iPhone SE launch has been delayed to 2022. Along with the side-mounted Touch ID scanner, iPhone SE 2022 is also expected to boast 5G support and a hole-punch display.
