The iPhone SE 4 will finally leave Touch ID behind

(Image credit: Apple)

Ever since Apple introduced Face ID and started phasing out Touch ID in all the best iPhones, there have been claims and rumors that the company is going to do an about-face and bring its fingerprint scanner back in future phones. Well, a new report has put the dampeners on that whole idea – and we should be glad about that.

According to a claim made on Chinese social media site Weibo, Apple has no plans to bring Touch ID back to its forthcoming iPhones. The report was spotted by MacRumors, and the outlet noted that the Weibo poster has a track record for Apple leaks.

The Weibo leaker further alleged that most of Apple’s Touch ID manufacturing capability has been shut down, suggesting the company has no plans to start implementing the tech in its devices any time soon.

Indeed, right now the only Apple phone that uses Touch ID is the iPhone SE. Yet even that might not last for long, as rumors have claimed that the iPhone SE 4 – apparently due to launch in 2024 – will adopt Face ID, bringing the facial recognition tech to every iPhone that Apple sells.

Face ID is just better

A person looks at the screen of an Apple iPhone X, unlocking it using Face ID. — (Image credit: Apple)

Rumors have long persisted that Apple is working on some kind of under-screen Touch ID for future iPhones, yet this idea doesn’t really make too much sense given what Apple itself has already said.

The iPhone X was the first Apple phone to use Face ID when it launched in 2017. At the time, Apple promoted Face ID by saying it was far more secure than Touch ID. While Touch ID had a one in 50,000 chance of being fooled, Apple said, those odds were far lower for Face ID: just one in a million.

So why would Apple go back and reinstate a technology that it has said is less secure than what’s already in your iPhone? Security is one of Apple’s key concerns – the idea that it will deliberately reduce the safety of its devices is ridiculous.

That’s not to mention the other drawbacks of Touch ID, like how it struggles to work if your fingers are wet, or how it’s difficult to use if your hands are full. Face ID is not only more secure but more convenient, too. Apple’s not going to go back on that.

So no, don’t expect Touch ID to return, whether that’s in the iPhone SE 4 or as some sort of futuristic under-screen version. We’ve already got something far superior in the form of Face ID.

Alex Blake has been fooling around with computers since the early 1990s, and since that time he's learned a thing or two about tech. No more than two things, though. That's all his brain can hold. As well as TechRadar, Alex writes for iMore, Digital Trends and Creative Bloq, among others. He was previously commissioning editor at MacFormat magazine. That means he mostly covers the world of Apple and its latest products, but also Windows, computer peripherals, mobile apps, and much more beyond. When not writing, you can find him hiking the English countryside and gaming on his PC.