One iPhone rumor that always comes up every year is speculation that Apple will finally bring back Touch ID. iPhone 15 is no exception. However, despite some early speculation, it is now believed that the fingerprint scanner will not make a comeback.

A Twitter leaker who goes by the name Unknownz21 (opens in new tab) has hit back at recent claims that Touch ID may return in the iPhone 15 - noting that there is nothing to suggest it is returning in 2023. He claims that if Touch ID, codenamed "Mesa," is indeed being planned or tested, we should be hearing something about it.

The first time we heard speculation that Touch ID might be in the iPhone 15 was last August, packaged as part of a report claiming that the iPhone 14 would not have the feature. iPhone 14 did not have Touch ID. Since it did not, the report proved to be partially true, but that does not necessarily mean that the iPhone 15 will have it.

Mark Gurman, known as a reliable Apple source, claims that Apple has no plans to bring Touch ID back to its flagship iPhones in the foreseeable future. iPhone SE 2022 will have the same Touch ID home button as the older iPhone 8 because it has the same Touch ID home button as the older iPhone 8.

Many iPad models also have Touch ID on the power button, which was added after Apple shifted its focus to full-screen displays. However, the more premium iPad Pro models have done away with fingerprint scanning in favor of Face ID, a facial recognition system. [The iPhone X was the first full-screen iPhone to replace the fingerprint sensor with Face ID facial recognition.

Since the iPhone X was launched, there have been rumors that Apple may be working on an in-display version of Touch ID. However, it has not yet been included in any Apple device, despite a number of Android phones offering the feature.

Why this is so has not been fully explained, although one can speculate. Apple has long touted the security advantages of Face ID over traditional fingerprint scanning. The system claims to be extremely difficult to impersonate, less than one in a million in fact. The system also appears to be aided by the True Depth camera, which captures a 3D image of the face, preventing someone from using a photo to unlock it.

It is also possible that Apple has dabbled with in-display Touch ID before, but never implemented it for various reasons. What would be obvious is that the performance of this technology would not meet Apple's high quality standards. It is also possible that it would be too costly or impractical to implement this technology.

Space inside smartphones is often at a premium, and adding new components means finding a way to tetris them in place; given that Face ID already exists and functions as part of the front camera, Apple may be tempted to use the may not see the benefit in adding a second form of biometric security that may or may not be used.

The iPhone 15 is expected to launch this fall, but probably don't expect Touch ID to be among the features listed. iPhone 15 will be reported on as information becomes available.