Apple might be working on a groundbreaking fingerprint recognition solution for future iPhones
The iPhone 8 Plus rocks a traditional Touch ID fingerprint sensor
Yet another patent published recently in the US and originally discovered by AppleInsider suggests Apple is considering a Touch ID revival... of sorts, possibly in order to double the convenience and security of the Face ID scanning method exclusively used on recent iPhones.
Enter something called “acoustic pulse coding for imaging of input surfaces”, which essentially means Apple is (maybe) working on a way to convert audio signals into coded images of a user’s fingerprint.
In other words, your fingerprint would enter into contact with these acoustic transducers, leaving an audio imprint that could then be compared to a “database of known images or data” to determine if the biometric information matches that of a phone’s rightful owner.
Apple envisions multiple use cases for this potentially groundbreaking technology, including unlocking financial information or “trade secret information” by fingerprint or even mapping the “biometrically-unique features of a user’s ear” with the help of an acoustic imaging system of this type.
If the whole thing sounds too complicated to wrap your head around, you might be excited to hear a specific acoustic imaging mechanism implementation would also theoretically allow Apple to equip the full display area of future iPhone generations with blazing fast fingerprint recognition functionality.
FCC OKs Cingular\'s purchase of AT&T Wireless
Things that are NOT allowed: