Apple is Having Trouble Getting TouchID Under the iPhone 8 Screen

A new rumor is making the rounds that claims Apple is having trouble with the so-called iPhone 8 smartphone. The big feature that has long been rumored on this device is a move to some sort of curved OLED display. The catch is that the display will require Apple to eliminate the normal Touch ID home button on the front of the screen.

Early rumors suggested that Apple would do two things to bring biometric security back after ditching that home button. One is integrate facial recognition into the cameras of the smartphone. The other is more difficult and according to the latest rumors making the rounds, is giving Apple a very difficult time.

This rumor says that the biggest bottleneck to mass production of the iPhone 8 is integrating Touch ID under the display glass. The source of this rumor is a research note by analyst Timothy Arcuri of Cowen and Company. Arcuri says that he has done field work with the supply chain and that work shows that the yield for the Apple in-house AuthenTech-based fingerprint sensor solution is very low.

The analyst says that Apple appears to be unwilling to use an outside sensor solution right now. Arcuri says he sees one of three things happening in the wake of the yield issue. Apple will either remove Touch ID from the iPhone 8 entirely and use only the facial recognition tech. Another option is Apple putting the Touch ID sensor on the back of the iPhone in an easier to reach place than Samsung placed its rear fingerprint sensor for the S8.

The third solution is that Apple will delay the launch of the iPhone 8, but still announce it in September along with the other iPhone models. This could mean that mass production of the iPhone 8 doesn’t happen until September rather than the expected July or August timeframe.