Want CNET to notify you of price drops and the latest stories?
No, thank you Accept
X
iOS 17 Wish ListHearing Loss and DementiaAI in FitnessShokz Headphones on SaleMeal Subscription vs. TakeoutBest Solar CompaniesVerizon 5G Home InternetBest Credit Cards
CNET logo Why You Can Trust CNET

Our expert, award-winning staff selects the products we cover and rigorously researches and tests our top picks. If you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Reviews ethics statement

New iPhone to feature fingerprint scanner: report

Apple's iPhone 5S may sport a fingerprint scanner built directly into the front of the smartphone.

nic-healey.jpg
nic-healey.jpg
Nic Healey Senior Editor / Australia
Nic Healey is a Senior Editor with CNET, based in the Australia office. His passions include bourbon, video games and boring strangers with photos of his cat.
See full bio
Nic Healey
Advertiser Disclosure
Advertiser Disclosure
This advertising widget is powered by Navi and contains advertisements that Navi may be paid for in different ways. You will not be charged for engaging with this advertisement. While we strive to provide a wide range of offers, this advertising widget does not include information about every product or service that may be available to you. We make reasonable efforts to ensure that information in the featured advertisements is up to date, each advertiser featured in this widget is responsible for the accuracy and availability of its offer details. It is possible that your actual offer terms from an advertiser may be different than the offer terms in this advertising widget and the advertised offers may be subject to additional terms and conditions of the advertiser which will be presented to you prior to making a purchase. All information is presented without any warranty or guarantee to you.

Apple's four-digit pin codes might be a thing of the past, if new rumours regarding the next iPhone are true.

(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the high-end iPhone 5S, which is presumably being launched overnight in the US, will have a fingerprint-scanning function.

Last year, Apple bought Authentic, a fingerprint sensor and identity management software company, which kicked off the rumours of the new biometric locking system, following it up with a patent application for a technology that could identify a person's fingerprint earlier this year.

It's not clear how the fingerprint reader might be mounted, but photos have leaked online suggesting that it could be built into the home button.

The WSJ report says that the functionality would be "on the more expensive of two iPhones", indicating that the purported low-cost iPhone 5C will require more traditional forms of locking and unlocking.

There are mere hours to go until we can forget all about the iPhone rumours and start worrying about the iPhone facts. Night owls and Apple fans can follow our coverage of the event from 2am AEST on 11 September.

Apple's finger-sensing patent application filed earlier this year. (Credit: Apple/USPTO)