iPhone 8 to Sport Fingerprint Scanner Underneath Display, Patent Hints

Apple has just been granted a patent for a fingerprint reading technology underneath the display. The patent was filed by Apple in the first quarter of 2015, and the fact that it has been passed hints at this new Touch ID solution, given that the Home Button is heavily rumoured to be ditched.

The US Patent and Trademark Office has published this patent on its site, reports Patently Apple. This cements rumours of Apple looking to integrate the fingerprint sensor underneath the display. With this technology, users will be able to authenticate payment and security features by just tapping their thumb on any part of the display of the iPhone. As this patent is now passed, it is highly likely that Apple will integrate it in its upcoming iPhone 8.

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The patent explains how this new tech will work on an iPhone device. "An electronic device may include a touch display that includes at least one display layer, and at least one transparent conductive layer thereon defining touch sensing pixels. The electronic device may also include a finger biometric sensor carried by the touch display and that includes a finger biometric sensing layer that includes an array of transparent conductive finger biometric sensing pixels capacitively coupled to the at least one transparent conductive layer of the touch display," the report reads.

In simple words, this technology will eliminate the need to pause or navigate away from current task to authenticate Apple Pay or App Store payments. It will just read the fingerprint on the touchscreen and do the payment in the background. Apple is expected to introduce some sort of facial recognition feature with the iPhone 8, but not at the expense of letting go fingerprint reading altogether.

The iPhone 8 is also tipped to sport a bezel-less display with no Home Button, improved 3D Touch, wireless charging, and water and dust resistance.