iPhone 8 fingerprint scanner might not be where we expected

One of the most ambitious rumors surrounding the iPhone 8 is that it could have a fingerprint scanner built into the screen, and a lot of leaked images support that theory, as most don’t include a home button or any other obvious scanner, but now another possibility has emerged.

An Apple patent published today and spotted by Patently Apple shows a fingerprint scanner being built into the power button of a phone, and activated by either touching or pressing said button.

This would allow Apple to remove the home button, as we’ve seen in leaked images, and keep the back scanner-free. It could mean that the images we’ve seen with no visible scanner are accurate, but that the assumptions – that the scanner would be built into the screen – were wrong.

And there’s further evidence of that too, as many of the leaked photos and sketches of the iPhone 8 show a power button that appears larger than the one on the iPhone 7, suggesting – as we’ve theorized before – that the scanner could be built into it.

Don't count out an in-screen scanner just yet

Let’s not get ahead of ourselves though. Rumors of a scanner built into the screen have been around a long time and are based on more than just pictures.

Plus, ideas in patents don’t always get used, and in the case of this patent the focus wasn’t even on the power button, but rather methods of bonding a fingerprint scanner to a device, with the power button given as just one placement possibility.

Still, it’s not a new idea – many of Sony’s phones put the fingerprint scanner in the power button, and it seems a much less ambitious solution than sticking it in the screen.

TOPICS

James is a freelance phones, tablets and wearables writer and sub-editor at TechRadar. He has a love for everything ‘smart’, from watches to lights, and can often be found arguing with AI assistants or drowning in the latest apps. James also contributes to 3G.co.uk, 4G.co.uk and 5G.co.uk and has written for T3, Digital Camera World, Clarity Media and others, with work on the web, in print and on TV.

Latest in iPhone
Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max REVIEW
The latest iPhone 17 Pro Max leak may have given us another look at its upcoming redesign
Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max REVIEW
New iPhone 17 Air leak may have revealed some key specs – and how it compares to the iPhone 17 Pro Max
Apple iPhone 16 Review
Three iPhone 17 model dummy units appear in a hands-on video leak
Apple iPhone 16 Plus Review
iPhone 17 Air leaks suggest it'll get next-gen battery – and offset the 17 Pro Max's weight gains
Two hands holding the Tecno Spark Slim phone
The world’s thinnest phone was just revealed, but a new iPhone 17 Air leak suggests it could be even slimmer
Apple iPhone 16e on blue background
This week's best Apple iPhone 16e deals: where to get the latest iPhone for cheap
Latest in News
Image showing detail of the Leica D-Lux 8
Still can't get a Fujifilm X100VI? This premium Leica compact costs less, and it's in stock
Man using iMessage on an iPhone
Apple will finally enable encrypted RCS messages between iOS and Android, and it's about time
Jason Sudeikis' Ted Lasso pointing at someone in Ted Lasso season 2
Believe it, baby: Ted Lasso season 4 is officially in development for Apple TV+ and Jason Sudeikis will reprise his role as the titular soccer coach
Quordle on a smartphone held in a hand
Quordle hints and answers for Saturday, March 15 (game #1146)
NYT Strands homescreen on a mobile phone screen, on a light blue background
NYT Strands hints and answers for Saturday, March 15 (game #377)
NYT Connections homescreen on a phone, on a purple background
NYT Connections hints and answers for Saturday, March 15 (game #643)