Iris-scanning has recently been rumored to feature in future iPhones – and, now, a Chinese-language report from MoneyDJ.com says that we can expect it to appear in next year’s iPhone series.
That report, paraphrased into English by DigiTimes, says that the Taiwan-based Xintec, an affiliate of major Apple supplier TSMC, is expected to start mass-producing iris-recognition chips in 2017. This expectation, according to MoneyDJ.com, has been revealed by market watchers, who reportedly added that Xintec has received orders for iris-recognition sensors set to be integrated in the 2017 iPhone series.
Last month, DigiTimes claimed, citing “industry sources”, that iris-scanning iPhones would likely debut in 2018 instead. However, a predicted arrival date of 2017 is in line with KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo’s prediction, back in March, that iris recognition could make it into an iPhone that year.
An iPhone with this technology could enable users to put iris-scanning to all of the same purposes as Touch ID – including unlocking the phone and authenticating Apple Pay payments.