A new report from an integrated circuit expert on Weibo is claiming that Apple has shut down most of the equipment originally used to manufacture the chips required for its Touch ID tech for iPhones. It added that the last few components produced were created solely for last year’s third-generation iPhone SE, with no plans of reviving the technology for future versions of the brand’s smartphones.
For many, this comes as no surprise as Apple has long stopped relying on Touch ID on its iPhones for biometric authentication. The only exceptions being the aforementioned SE variants, which are based on older models that lacked the company’s Face ID technology. That said, it was previously rumoured that its next iteration will be based on the iPhone X or later, which features the modern all-screen notched design that no longer supports fingerprint-based verification method.
And it goes without saying that the technology won’t be returning on next year’s iPhone 16 models, though separate rumours suggest that Apple is allegedly working on developing its own under-display fingerprint scanning technology, similar to those featured in most mid-to-high range Android smartphones. However, such claims are from questionable sources, and the possibility of the company actually using mixed biometric authentication methods on its future handsets is very slim.
Despite this, Touch ID is far from being permanently removed from Apple’s devices entirely. Currently, the technology is still featured on the company’s iPad, Mac (via Magic Keyboards) and MacBook products, which is very likely to remain until a better alternative emerges.
