There may be some substance to the rumor calling for an iPhone with an under-display Touch ID in 2020 as the Cupertino tech giant just won a patent for an optical imaging sensor that could be used for under-display biometrics in future iPhones, iPads, Apple Watch and more.
Patent
Apple researching automatic Memoji creation from your photos
A future version of the Memoji feature on iPhone and iPad might be able to automatically generate a virtual three-dimensional avatar from users’ photographs.
Apple is researching eye tracking solutions for its rumored augmented reality headset
Apple is rumored to be working on an advanced augmented reality headset. Its latest patent filing offers a glimpse into how accurate and reliable gaze tracking could permit users to interact with a computer-generated environment more easily than with hands.
Apple’s rumored over-the-ear headphones could feature orientation detection and a folding headband for easy transport
Apple's been researching compact over-the-ear headphones with a foldable headband for easy transport and orientation detection that'd automatically adjust left/right audio channels depending if the user is wearing them correctly or with the left earpiece over their left ear.
Apple invents a wireless security system that disables unpaid devices if they leave an Apple Store
Despite the open floor plan of your typical Apple Store (or perhaps because of it), the crowds, and the current security systems in place, robberies aren't as rare as Apple would like. In an effort to thwart that, the company has invented a new wireless security system.
Apple researching new HomePod features: 3D hand gestures, Face ID & much more
Apple's HomePod wireless speaker could gain a host of additional capabilities in the future, including 3D hand gestures, the Face ID facial recognition system and much more.
Appeals court rules Apple must pay VirnetX $440 million in patent case
A U.S. appeals court has upheld a judgement against Apple worth $440 million, reports Reuters. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit denied the iPhone-maker's request to throw out the 2016 jury verdict, which found it guilty of infringing on patents belonging to VirnetX.
Apple to stop selling iPhone 7 and 8 in Germany as Qualcomm secures another sales ban
Qualcomm has secured another victory in its legal spat with Apple, this time in Germany after a Munich court ruled that some iPhone models that employ Intel-made cellular modems violate a Qualcomm patent which covers so-called envelope tracking, a feature that helps smartphones save battery power while sending and receiving wireless signals.
Apple confirms iOS 12.1.2 circumvents Qualcomm patents in China
Apple's acknowledged that the iPhone-exclusive iOS 12.1.2 software update has indeed circumvented a pair of Qualcomm patents—in spite of Qualcomm's claims to the contrary.
Qualcomm claims Apple’s most recent iOS 12.1.2 update hasn’t circumvented its patents
Even though Apple has not officially confirmed that the latest iOS 12.1.2 update does pack in fixes for a pair of Qualcomm software patents that were supposed to remove any infringing functionality, Qualcomm told Reuters yesterday that the Cupertino firm remains in violation of a Chinese court’s orders to stop selling iPhone 6s through iPhone X in the country.
Apple will push special iOS updates in China to circumvent Qualcomm licensing issues
Apple will soon release special iOS updates to its Chinese customers that were specifically created to circumvent a pair of patents, owned by Qualcomm, which are essential to an iPhone injunction that the chip maker has won recently in the 1.33 billion people country.
Future AirPods could track your heart rate and body temperature via built-in health sensors
Future AirPods might bring useful health-tracking features that could use tiny biometric sensors embedded in wireless earbuds to track your heart rate and body temperature.