Apple may have solved the biggest problem in incorporating Face ID into displays.

"From previous Apple patents, we understand that the company is looking into methods to incorporate facial recognition functionality into popular iPhone screens in the future."

The main obstacle here is that infrared light required for Face ID does not pass through the display well. However, with the acquisition of new Apple patents, there is a proposal that the company may find a solution.

"Embedding Facial Recognition Functionality into the Display"

Former lead designer of Apple's approach Johny Ive had long considered the "Holy Grail" of iPhone design to be "a single glass panel." From the front, it would look like a continuous display with no borders, cutouts, or indents. Although Ive has passed away, the company is believed to still be working towards this vision.

This ultimately means embedding everything into Dynamic Island under the display. This includes the front camera and Face ID technology.

The camera is a long-term goal. While it is technically possible today, its quality falls far short of Apple's acceptable standards. Therefore, embedding Face ID in the display will be the first thing to achieve.

"The Greatest Problem Solved"

While infrared light can pass through the display, IR communication degrades very badly. This makes facial recognition slower and reduces reliability.

Alibaba Cloud had previously tried to improve transmission by selectively inactivating certain pixels, but a recent patent (discovered by Patently Apple) describes a simple and reliable method: removing some subpixels.

One pixel is made up of individual light sources that emit red, green, and blue colors. These sources are called subpixels, and they mix at different levels to display any color. Alibaba proposes removing some subpixels to allow infrared light to pass through the gap.

It is believed that the missing subpixels will be invisible to the eye. Apple only removes subpixels adjacent to the same-colored emitting body next to each other. The subpixels of neighboring pixels are effectively borrowed, allowing for color mixing.

Some display subpixels within the pixel removal area can be repeatedly removed and deleted by iteratively removing a portion of the same-color nearby subpixels.

To improve the effectiveness of this approach, some wires can also be removed. Each subpixel has its own power and control lines. When a subpixel is removed, the related wire is also removed, expanding the bright area available for IR transmission.

"At least one horizontal and vertical control line in multiple non-pixel areas are rerouted to create continuous open areas that reduce light scattering as the display passes through sensors."

Apple has proposed removing some touch-sensitive mesh sections from the same location to further impede infrared transmission. These holes are the size of subpixels, so they do not affect touch accuracy.

Will This Happen with iPhone 17?

Predictions for embedding Face ID into iPhones 15 and 16 have been varied, but neither has come to fruition. Of course, it is not surprising that the same prediction is emerging for iPhone 17.

Last month, I mentioned a few reasons why optimism could be justified this year.

Several reports indicated that at least one model had a small cutout on its screen. Jeff Pu proposed that the iPhone 17 Pro Max may have a significantly reduced "dynamic island." Embedding Face ID under the screen is the most straightforward method for achieving this.

Secondly, there is the iPhone 17 Air. Apple's goal here is to achieve the thinnest design possible, and reducing Dynamic Island into camera punch holes aligns perfectly with this objective.

At that time, it was known that the iPhone 17 Air was the highest model in the lineup and was considered qualified to adopt new technology. However, its price idea has since declined, so while we are still hoping for it at some point, we do not know when it will happen.