Apple may have much better ideas for the Apple Watch than adding Touch ID

Rumors about an Apple Watch with Touch ID have been reappearing many times over the years. However, those rumors didn’t materialize in 2020, nor in 2022, and it appears they won’t be true in 2026 as well.

Apple Watch Series 12 won’t get Touch ID

Apple is not planning to add Touch ID to the upcoming Apple Watch, and such claims are complete rumors, according to a new post (source in Chines) from leaker Instant Digital on Weibo. The company won’t add biometric authentication to its wearable, and it will continue to rely on unlocking through a connected smartphone.

Part of the reason the company won’t do that may be related to pure physics and the potential extra costs it would require. Adding a Touch ID to the device would take up extra internal space, forcing tradeoffs the company is not currently willing to make.

Meaningful upgrades instead

Instead of a dubious Touch ID update, Apple will reportedly focus on more meaningful improvements. Those may include a larger battery and more advanced health sensors.

Those claims are in line with earlier rumors about the Apple Watch Series 12, which is not expected to feature significant design changes. Instead, Apple may introduce a design update to its watch in 2028 or even later.

These rumored upgrades are more likely to include a blood glucose monitoring feature, not Touch ID. Still, any upgrade is in a very early stage of development, and it could change by the time it reaches the market.

That’s a good choice

Clearly, Apple has at least considered adding Touch ID to the Apple Watch. I’m not surprised the idea didn’t make it to a final product, and I don’t think it will anytime soon.

As fun as it may sound, biometric authentication on a smartwatch is a pointless feature because those devices are not designed to work independently. Larger batteries and better health sensors, on the other hand, are very meaningful, and I’d love such improvements.

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