Apple Gets Touch ID Fingerprint Patent

Apple has been granted a patent for a Touch ID system for its Apple Watch, an alternative means of user identification that would be more convenient than facial recognition. While the deployment of this tech in the company’s wearable devices is not confirmed, the possibility of its use hints that consumers will see this system increasingly deployed in future devices. 

News of the patent was unveiled in a report from Patently Apple, with the site noting the new feature would be located under the watch’s side button and provide an additional level of security for actions such as accessing apps and authorizing payments. 

Patents are not a guaranteed thing, and it is not unusual for similar announcements about Apple to amount to nothing, however, the inclusion of a fingerprint sensor has seemingly been in the works for some time and would be a logical next step for both security and usability.

While the future of the Apple Watch remains unknown for now, as tech companies continue to develop and update their products to meet the contactless needs of a post-pandemic world, systems to facilitate greater usability are only set to increase.