Apple May Have Found a Solution to the Main Challenge of Integrating Face ID Into the Display

Previously obtained Apple patents reveal that the company is diligently exploring methods to integrate Face ID into the displays of upcoming iPhones.

The main challenge lies in the fact that infrared light required for Face ID does not effectively penetrate a display. However, a newly awarded Apple patent indicates that a solution might be on the horizon…

Integrating Face ID into the display

Former Apple design chief Jony Ive envisioned the ultimate goal of iPhone design as a “single slab of glass.” This would create a front appearance free of bezels, notches, or cutouts, displaying only an uninterrupted screen. Although Ive has departed, it is believed that the company is still pursuing this ideal.

Achieving this vision would necessitate embedding all components, including the front-facing camera and Face ID technology, beneath the display.

The front-facing camera remains a longer-term aspiration. While it could technically be implemented today, the image quality it would provide is not up to par for an iPhone. Hence, it is almost certain that embedding Face ID into the display will precede that milestone.

Addressing the primary issue

Though infrared light can travel through display screens, its transmission is significantly impaired, leading to slower and less dependable face recognition than current systems.

Apple has previously experimented with selectively disabling certain pixels to enhance transmission. However, recent patent applications (highlighted by Patently Apple) propose a more straightforward and effective method: the removal of certain subpixels.

A pixel consists of distinct light emitters for red, green, and blue, known as subpixels. By mixing these in various configurations, a pixel can generate any color. Apple suggests that eliminating specific subpixels might allow infrared light to pass through the gaps.

The theory is that the absence of these subpixels would be imperceptible to the average eye, as Apple would remove a subpixel only when it is adjacent to a like-colored emitter in a neighboring pixel. This would allow the neighboring pixel’s subpixel to effectively contribute to the overall color mix.

A subset of all display subpixels in the pixel removal area may be eliminated by successively removing the nearest neighboring subpixels of the same color.

The effectiveness of this method would be enhanced by also removing some of the associated wiring. Each subpixel has dedicated power and control lines, so removing a subpixel would also eliminate the corresponding wiring, increasing the clear zone available for infrared transmission.

Some horizontal and vertical control lines in the non-pixel regions are rerouted to allow unimpeded areas that minimize diffraction for light traveling through the display to the sensor.

Additionally, Apple proposes that sections of the touch-sensitive mesh in these areas be removed to further improve infrared transmission, with the subpixel-sized openings having no impact on touch accuracy.

Could this finally be realized in the iPhone 17?

There have been predictions that embedded Face ID would be featured in the iPhone 15 and again in the iPhone 16, neither of which materialized. It’s not surprising that similar forecasts are surfacing for the iPhone 17.

Last month, I pointed out two potential reasons for optimism regarding this development.

First, numerous reports indicate that at least one model this year will showcase a smaller display cutout. Jeff Pu has suggested that the iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature a “much narrower Dynamic Island.” Integrating Face ID beneath the display would be a logical way to achieve this.

Second, there’s the iPhone 17 Air, where Apple aims for the sleekest design possible. Transitioning to a camera punch-hole for the Dynamic Island aligns perfectly with this goal.

Previously, the iPhone 17 Air was believed to be the priciest option in the lineup, which would suggest it might lead the charge in adopting new technology. However, recent updates have made that pricing speculation uncertain, leaving the timeline for these developments unclear.

Render: Michael Bower/DMN