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Next Year's iPhone Said to Include Iris Scanner to Authenticate With Your Eyes

Wednesday August 31, 2016 7:36 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
Apple is planning to include iris scanning capabilities on the tenth-anniversary iPhone launching in 2017, according to a Chinese-language MoneyDJ report translated by DigiTimes. The latter website, citing supply chain sources, previously said the feature would not debut on iPhones until at least 2018.

iphone-iris-scanner
An iris scanner could complement or replace Touch ID as a way to verify a user's identity, enabling iPhone users to unlock their smartphone, make payments, and more by authenticating with their eyes. A person's iris, or the circular colored muscle of the eye, contains a complex and random pattern that is unique to each individual.

An iris scanner on a smartphone would not be unprecedented, as Samsung included one on the new Galaxy Note7 released earlier this month.

Taiwan-based supplier Xintec, an affiliate of Apple manufacturer TSMC, will begin mass production of iris-recognition chips in 2017, likely in an effort to secure orders from Apple and other smartphone vendors next year:
Xintec is expected to enter mass production for iris-recognition chips in 2017, which will boost the backend house's revenues for the year, the report cited market watchers as saying. New orders for iris-recognition sensors include those for the chips that will be embedded in the 2017 series of iPhone, the watchers were also quoted in the report.
Xintec said the company does not comment on rumors or speculation about specific products or customer orders.

Based on rumors, Apple's tenth-anniversary iPhone is shaping up to be a more significant upgrade compared to the iPhone 7 series expected at Apple's September 7 event. Other rumors surrounding the so-called iPhone 8 include a 5.8-inch curved OLED screen, glass casing, an embedded or completely removed home button, wireless charging, an enhanced Taptic Engine, and more.

Related Roundups: iPhone 8, iPhone X
Tag: digitimes.com
[ 220 comments ]


Top Rated Comments

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Munky
34 months ago
Nah, just leave me with touch ID. I'm not always looking at my phone when unlocking, and it would be faster to pull it out of my pocket with my thumb on it and have it unlocked by the time it is facing up than to pull it out, turn it on, look into it, let it take it's time because I'm in a dark area, and then unlock.
Rating: 48 Votes
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Jsameds
34 months ago
Dear readers, moaning about lack of Mac updates is not going to make them come any sooner, so please, please stop it.

It's incredibly annoying and 99% of the time off topic.

Thank you.
Rating: 25 Votes
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carambo
34 months ago
Who cares about iris scanner... Where is my new Macbook Pro ??
Rating: 23 Votes
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MacFan1957
34 months ago
Imagine having to stand there and scan your eye, each time you want to use ApplePay. I think I'd rather use TouchID, I look less of a pillock.
Rating: 20 Votes
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yanki01
34 months ago


no....it's not.
Rating: 17 Votes
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WannaGoMac
34 months ago
I don't believe this rumor for a second. Iris scan is not as reliable or fast, opens Apple to "you blinded me" law suits, doesn't really improve anything, and Apple has spent years getting users used to TouchID and improving the system.

Edited i wrote retinal instead of iris
Rating: 15 Votes
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Rogifan
34 months ago
I call BS on this. Easy to do coming from Digitimes. Also every year right around the time the new iPhone is announced we get all these rumors on the next iPhone supposedly will have. BS.
Rating: 14 Votes
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GenesisST
34 months ago

Half the girls I've dated in Asia wore colored contacts, and 80% had iPhones.


How big of a sample size: zero? ;-)
Rating: 10 Votes
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zombierunner
34 months ago
Evil Corp stuff right here.
Rating: 8 Votes
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rGiskard
34 months ago

Retina scan is not as reliable or fast, opens Apple to "you blinded me" law suits...


Well, good thing the rumor says nothing about retina scans, eh?
Rating: 8 Votes

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