Apple could have resolved the biggest problem with integrating Face ID into the screen.

We know from previous Apple patents that the company is working hard to find ways to integrate Face ID into the screens of future iPhones.

The biggest obstacle here is that the infrared light necessary for facial recognition does not propagate well through a screen - but a new patent granted to Apple suggests that the company might have found a solution...

Including Facial Recognition in the Screen

Apple's Chief Designer Jony Ive had always seen the treasure of iPhone design as "a single piece of glass". From the front, you would not see any borders, no corners or bezels, just a continuous display. Despite his departure, it is said that the company continues to pursue this vision.

This would finally require integrating everything under the screen, in the Dynamic Panel, including the front camera and facial recognition technology.

The camera is a long-term project. While technically possible today, the quality it provides is not nearly acceptable for an iPhone. For this reason, it is almost certain that the integration of Face ID into the display will happen first.

Solving the Biggest Problem

While infrared can pass through screens, infrared transmission is extremely weak, which would make facial recognition much slower and less reliable than it is currently.

Apple had previously experimented with selectively disabling some pixels to improve transmission, but a patent granted yesterday (reported by Patently Apple) describes a simpler and more reliable approach: by removing some sub-pixels.

A pixel consists of separate light emitters for red, green, and blue. These emitters are called sub-pixels, and the mixing of these at different levels in various ways allows the pixel to display any color. Apple suggests that some of these sub-pixels could be removed so that infrared radiation can pass through the gaps.

The idea is that the missing sub-pixels would not be noticeable to the eye because Apple would only eliminate a sub-pixel next to the same color emitter of an adjacent pixel. The sub-pixel of the neighboring pixel could be effectively borrowed to create the same color mix.

Part of a subset of all pixels in the region where pixels are removed can be removed by iteratively eliminating the neighboring sub-pixels of the same color.

The effectiveness of this approach would be enhanced by also removing some cables. Each sub-pixel has its own power and control lines, and if you eliminate the sub-pixel, you can also eliminate the associated cables, increasing the area available for infrared transmission.

Several horizontal and vertical control lines in various non-pixel regions are redirected to provide continuous open spaces that reduce the amount of diffraction of light passing through the screen to the sensor.

Apple also suggests removing parts of the touch sensor openings. These subpixel holes would not affect the accuracy of the touch.

Will it Finally Lighten the iPhone 17?

It has been rumored that the integrated facial recognition will be implemented in the iPhone 15 and again in the iPhone 16 – of course, this did not happen. It is no surprise that some are making the same prediction for the iPhone 17.

I have recently noticed that there may be reasons for optimism here.

Firstly, many reports indicate that at least one model this year will have a reduced display opening. Jeff Pu suggested that the iPhone 17 Pro Max would have a "Grand Island Dynamic" much narrower. Placing Face ID under the screen would be the most obvious method to achieve this.

Secondly, there is the iPhone 17 Air. Apple's goal here is an as elegant design as possible, and reducing the Dynamic Area to one opening for the camera would perfectly align with this objective.

At the time, the iPhone 17 Air was supposed to be the most expensive model in the range, which would give it weight to be the first to benefit from a new technology. However, since then, this idea of pricing has been downgraded, so for now, we are waiting for it to become available at some point, but without knowing when.