One of the most widely anticipated features for the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro line-ups was the return of Touch ID. Most of us are still wearing masks due to the continuing COVID-19 pandemic, leaving the standard biometric ID on the iPhone, Face ID, inoperative for most people. So when the new iPod Mini was announced to have Touch ID moved to the power button, many anticipated that the iPhone 13 series would get the same treatment. That, unfortunately, isn’t the case.
Does the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro have Touch ID?
Unfortunately, none of the iPhone 13 models have Touch ID. The iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Mini, iPhone 13 Pro, and iPhone 13 Pro Max are all limited to Face ID when it comes to biometric security.
Many hypothesized that Apple would add Touch ID back to iPhones for 2021, considering how much trouble people have had with Face ID due to mask usage. The company did release an update that allows users to unlock the phone automatically if they’re wearing a paired Apple Watch, but that doesn’t really help anyone who doesn’t. It was thought this update was just a stopgap until Apple issued a fix in the form of a new version of Touch ID.
Given that the new iPad Mini 6 has Touch ID built into the power button, it seems like an odd choice not to bring the tech over to the iPhone. Customers would likely have been okay with trading the larger battery for a fingerprint sensor if it was a space concern. It’s possible that Apple didn’t anticipate the pandemic continuing for this long (we didn’t) and thought users wouldn’t need the feature. However, many people aren’t happy with Face ID in general, and a backup biometric method would have been great regardless of the ongoing situation.
