The iPhone 14 is rumored to receive a variety of upgrades, some of them more exciting than others. So far, there is a new, faster and more efficient A16 Bionic chip, a sharper 48MP main camera (up from 12MP), and, at least on the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max, the notch may be removed in favor of a punch hole display It is said that.

Apple may also retire the iPhone mini for the new 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Max. We also saw rumors that the iPhone 14's rear design may minimize or even eliminate the camera bump. But without one major upgrade, Touch ID, all of the above would make no sense.

In September, display analyst Ross Young predicted that the iPhone 14 could have Face ID under the display. That would be great, but it won't matter unless Apple figures out a way to unlock the iPhone while wearing a mask with Face ID, which is reportedly being tested.

For the past few months I have been commuting back and forth between New Jersey and New York and have had to wear a mask on the bus and while in the office. Unfortunately, I have to deal with Omicron variants, so I don't expect this to change anytime soon.

The number of times I need to unlock my phone in a day quickly increases as I open my digital bus pass, turn on the mobile hotspot on my iPhone, and verify my identity with Google's two-factor authentication to use Gmail. Each time you have to enter a passcode, which of course is a first world problem, but still quite annoying.

This is why we would like to see Touch ID on the iPhone 14, whether Apple adds a Touch ID sensor under the display or simply a fingerprint sensor on the power button.

At this point, it seems to be very much up in the air, as we have heard rumors both for and against Touch ID being on the iPhone 14.

In a new Q&A with iDropNews, informant LeaksApplePro said that Touch ID may be coming to the iPhone 14 Pro models:

"I would say this feature has been removed from the regular 14 series. However, it is still being tested to be included under the display in next year's Pro lineup." It is unclear if it will eventually be included.

However, earlier information by leaker @PandaIsBald on Chinese site Weibo (via MacRumors) states that Touch ID will not be mounted under the iPhone 14 display. This means Face ID will remain the only biometric option.

As Samsung has proven with the Galaxy S21 and other models, in-display fingerprint sensors can perform well to make unlocking secure and fast. Google's Pixel 6 also has an in-display fingerprint reader, but it has proven to be slower than we would like. Still, a little slower is better than no fingerprint sensor at all.

Of course, I am hopeful that the situation on the Covid front will improve to the point where it will no longer be necessary to wear a mask in public. But right now, it seems that Apple really needs to adapt for the iPhone 14.