The mask mandate during the COVID-19 pandemic may have triggered the slow death of Face ID on smartphones, with Apple reportedly set to bring back Touch ID sensors to the next iPhone model.
Apple started phasing out Touch ID in 2017 with the introduction of a face sensor, but it is now testing a version of the fingerprint sensor which will sit under the iPhone display, Bloomberg reports.
Face ID has become somewhat of an inconvenience over the last year as users have been unable to unlock their phones while wearing masks.
Many Apple fans were surprised the company didn’t address the Face ID issue in the iPhone 12, which was released late 2020.
The iPhone 13 allegedly won’t scrap Face ID altogether, instead Apple will give users the option between face or fingerprint sensors for unlocking phones.
Other smartphones, including Motorola and Samsung models, have already offered multiple unlocking capabilities to users.
The iPhone 13 is also rumoured to be completely portless, with Apple tipped to ditch the charging port entirely in favour of wireless charging.
