New patent reveals that Apple could re-introduce Touch ID unlock on iPhones

One of the biggest changes in last year's iPhone X was the fact that it had completely dropped the home button to make room for more screen. In doing so, the iPhone X also let go of the fingerprint scanner as well. The device's only biometric authentication is the Face ID system, which makes a digital 3D map of your face to unlock the device securely.[caption id="attachment_4183123" align="alignnone" width="1280"]

Image: Anirudh Regidi/Tech2[/caption]Now, the recent leaks have all but confirmed that the 2018 iPhone lineup will be following the iPhone X design language, and will similarly come sans the home button. In fact, there are also rumours that Apple is going to drop the home button on the next-gen iPad as well.However, a brand new leaked Apple patent reveals that the company might just bring back the old biometric system with a new kind of Touch ID authentication.As per the report by Patently Apple, the Cupertino tech giant has filed for a patent, which showed an optical image sensor beneath the screen. It looks to be the same technology that Vivo has used in its flagship NEX device and also on the X21 smartphone. The patent reveals the device's cameras placed beneath the display, which are able to capture 3D image data of a fingerprint through the display.We advise you to take this information with a grain of salt as the source is not very reliable. Even if the patent is legitimate, patent applications are no guarantee of a technology being introduced. Having said that, we would love to see Apple use an under-the-display fingerprint reader on its device.