A rumor earlier this week suggested that Apple was looking to do away with the home button in future iPhones. This led to the question of where would Touch ID go? While it’s just a rumor for now, a report from CNN (via MacRumors) has revealed that Apple had bought out more patents from biometric firm Privaris.This is interesting because as noted by KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, it hints at the future of what Touch ID could bring to the table. The report claims that Apple had transferred a total of 26 of 31 patents from its portfolio over to Apple. Prior to this, Apple had acquired 4 patents from the company dating back to 2012, and dozen more in October 2014, all of which seem related to Touch ID.
According to Kuo then, this is what he speculated the patents could be used for. “For example, one of Privaris’ patents covers the ability to use a touchscreen and fingerprint reader at the same time. Another invention of Privaris’ could allow you to open a door with your iPhone by scanning your fingerprint and holding your phone up to a reader, similar to how you pay for items with Apple Pay.”
Of course it is just speculation for now, but given that Touch ID has become a very large part of the iOS experience, we’re sure Apple has bigger plans for the feature beyond just providing users with a more secure way of unlocking their phone.