Touch ID Will Not Arrive on Apple Watch: The Project Has Been Canceled for Two Reasons

Apple considered the possibility of integrating Touch ID into the Digital Crown of its Apple Watches. The project was even anticipated by a patent dating back to 2020 but was discarded due to certain technical evaluations. For this reason, the sensor was not integrated into the Apple Watch Series 11 and will not appear in future models.

Touch ID Will Not Arrive on Apple Watch, for Now

The technology for integrating Touch ID into Apple Watch has been developed but, for the moment, it will not feature in a product for production, as confirmed by a new leak. The reason is fundamentally related to two factors that would have led the Cupertino company to consider alternative solutions for the future of its smartwatch range.

The first is a cost issue. The integration of Touch ID, especially considering the compact size of the smartwatch, would require certain adjustments and would increase the overall production cost. This is a particularly sensitive topic at this moment: the memory crisis is reducing profit margins for Apple (and many other manufacturers), and projects that foresee rising production costs do not align with the company’s plans.

The second element is autonomy. Simply put, to make room for Touch ID, one would have to reduce the battery capacity of the smartwatch, which would negatively affect its autonomy (which isn't exactly the strong point of Apple Watches).

The combination of these two elements represents a sufficient motivation to postpone (or cancel) the launch of Touch ID for the Apple Watch range. In the future, the Cupertino company might revive the project, which, for now, will not see the light.