Apple’s iPhone 13 could have the one feature users truly want

As we reach the halfway point between iPhone generations (assuming the next model drops in the traditional September slot), the rumour mill is working overtime to churn out all manner of rumours and leaks. Indeed, we’ve heard tons of tantalising tidbits about the so-called iPhone 13, and if the latest is to be believed, it could ship with one of the most requested features of the year.

It is apparently “likely” that the iPhone 13 will include Touch ID, which of course lets users unlock the phone using their fingerprint. As many users have discovered the hard way over the last 12 months, Face ID just doesn’t cut it in a world of face masks – and what use is one of the best camera phones if you can’t easily unlock it?

According to a new investor note, as spotted by 9to5Mac, the iPhone 13 is likely to feature Touch ID under the display. First launched with 2013’s iPhone 5S, Touch ID was removed in favour of Face ID for 2017’s iPhone X. But the company probably wasn’t banking on us all wearing face coverings three years later, judging by the makeshift workarounds it’s had to implement to make Face ID actually, you know, work.

Yep, many an iPhone user has been crying out for Touch ID to return since the pandemic began, and it seems Apple might be about to heed their calls. The tech has already made a comeback with the iPad Air 4 last year, so it’s unsurprising to hear it might extend to the iPhone line up again soon.

The obvious benefit of an under-screen fingerprint scanner is that it doesn’t require bezels or a button, meaning Apple could stick to its current all-screen design. According to 9to5Mac, the investor note calls it the “security feature of the future,” and claims it is likely to be featured in iPhones shipping in the second half of 2021.