A new Apple patent shows what technology could replace FaceID and TouchID in future iPhones

Apple’s iPhones are easily recognizable by the wide notch at the top of the display. It made an appearance for the third year in a row on this year’s iPhone 11 lineup. The reason Apple can’t get rid of the notch is that it’s housing all the sensors needed for the company’s FaceID. Sooner or later, however, Apple will have to update its design and unless it can fit all the sensors under the display, it might have to look for another way for users to securely identify themselves. And it seems that engineers at Cupertino are working hard on at least one alternative.

A new patent published today by the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and quickly spotted by AppleInsider, reveals which part of our bodies we might use in the future to unlock Apple devices. Spare your guesses, the answer is our palms.

The technology in question would allow devices to accurately detect the veins within our palms, which are uniquely structured just like our fingerprints. Palm identification in itself is nothing new and has been used in certain areas for years because it’s more secure than most other methods. Fingerprints can be replicated relatively easy and even faces can be duplicated successfully with enough resources. Faking the veins inside a person’s hand, however, is near impossible.

Apple’s development could allow this technology to be implemented in mobile devices as small as the Apple Watch.