Apple’s latest biometric security feature might find its way to every iPhone next year.
In a note to investors on Thursday, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that Apple (AAPL) is planning to bring its Face ID facial scanner to every iPhone it releases next year. Additionally, Kuo, who has a good track record of predicting Apple’s next moves, said that Apple will remove the Touch ID fingerprint sensor in future iPhones and rely entirely on Face ID to verify a person’s identity and allow him or her access to the iPhone’s software.
Apple unveiled its new Face ID scanner last month at its iPhone press event. The feature uses a variety of technologies, including infrared and a camera, to scan a person’s face. If the person’s identity can be verified, he or she will be given access to iOS and make purchases via the company’s mobile-payment service Apple Pay.
In its discussion of the feature, Apple said that Face ID, which is available exclusively on the iPhone X this year, is far more secure than the company’s Touch ID fingerprint sensor. Apple has also promised improved responsiveness with Face ID.
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Apple has offered its Touch ID fingerprint sensor since 2013, when the feature was offered in the iPhone 5s. Like Face ID, it’s been used to give users access to iOS and verify mobile purchases.
According to Kuo, whose note was earlier reported on by AppleInsider, Apple believes its Face ID is superior to competing face scanners and wants to use it as a “competitive advantage” in the smartphone market. Touch ID, it seems, doesn’t fit into that plan.
However, Kuo said in a note in September that while Apple was planning to bring Face ID to future iPhones, its decision to remove Touch ID would be predicated on consumer response to the Face ID scanner built into the iPhone X. If it doesn’t work well, in other words, Apple might decide to keep Touch ID.
Apple’s Face ID will be put to the test on Nov. 3, when the iPhone X is released. Apple likely won’t release a new slate of iPhones—which might or might not support Face ID—for another year.