News > Phones How Touch ID Could Make iPhone Safer Or maybe just more convenient By Joshua Hawkins Joshua Hawkins Twitter Freelance Technology Reporter Full Sail University Josh Hawkins is a freelance writer for Lifewire who loves writing about the latest tech and gadgets that help make people’s lives easier. As an avid gamer and VR enthusiast, he also enjoys diving deep into the technology that helps bring those kinds of experiences to life. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on March 25, 2021 03:48PM EDT Fact checked by Rich Scherr Fact checked by Rich Scherr Twitter University of Maryland Baltimore County Rich Scherr is a seasoned technology and financial journalist who spent nearly two decades as the editor of Potomac and Bay Area Tech Wire. lifewire's fact checking process Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Phones Mobile Phones Internet & Security Computers & Tablets Smart Life Home Theater & Entertainment Software & Apps Social Media Streaming Gaming Key Takeaways Rumors that Apple will include an in-display version of TouchID in the iPhone 13 have been making the rounds.While many like FaceID, they find TouchID to be more convenient, overall.When comparing the two, experts say there are some security concerns with both, but ultimately a phone that offers both FaceID and TouchID would be best. PeopleImages / Getty Images Not only is TouchID considered more secure, but it’s also more convenient than FaceID, making it a must-have for the iPhone 13. Rumors are that TouchID could return to Apple’s smartphone lineup with the iPhone 13, bringing an in-demand feature back to the device. While FaceID has proven easy to use, concerns over just how secure it is, plus the added convenience that TouchID gives users, has left many wanting for the biometric system to make a return. "Apple’s decision to remove fingerprint authentication was because of form factor above all else," Ray Walsh, a privacy expert at Pro Privacy, explained to Lifewire in an email. "The company preferred not to include a fingerprint scanner into the frame or on the back, and for this reason, it did away with TouchID in favor of FaceID. However, it seems that Apple has now developed in-screen fingerprint sensors that work quickly enough to make them viable on the iPhone 13." At Your Fingertips One of the main reasons that many want to see a return for TouchID on the iPhone 13 has nothing to do with security. Instead, it’s all about convenience. According to a SellCell study, 79% of more than 2,000 iPhone users surveyed wanted to see TouchID return as an in-display fingerprint reader in future Apple devices. Much of this comes down to convenience. While you can use FaceID to unlock your phone just by looking at the screen, you also can run into errors, depending on whether you’re wearing a mask or even if the lighting isn’t bright enough for the camera to get a good look at your face. Khosrork / Getty Images While Apple has added features to help mitigate some of the errors, the fact remains that TouchID doesn’t require any extra steps to unlock your phone if you’re covering your face for any reason. Of course, you do run into possible issues when your fingers are wet, cut, or if you’re wearing gloves. This means both options have their own downsides. "With the health hazards of the pandemic still looming over our heads, I wear a mask every time when I go outside," Darren Dean, founder of WipeLock, told us in an email. "When I want to use my iPhone 11, I have to take off the mask to unlock it with FaceID, which is dangerous, especially when I‘m in crowds." "If I don't do that, I have to swipe up the screen and enter the passcode to unlock it. This is a bit annoying. However, for an iPhone with TouchID, it's simple to unlock by placing a finger on the home button. This is why I use my iPhone 7 when going outside." Locked Down At a surface level, it might seem like TouchID is a no-brainer. After all, fingerprints are more unique than facial details, right? We’ve already seen in the past where Apple’s FaceID technology could be fooled by twins, something that Apple has worked hard to minimize. "The problem with facial features is that they're often not wholly unique," Rex Freiberger, CEO of Gadget Review, told us in an email. "You may know someone who just ‘has one of those faces,’ meaning they look like any other random person off the street." "Apple’s decision to remove fingerprint authentication was because of form factor above all else." While many experts on the subject have concerns about the security of FaceID, Apple says the chance of someone being able to unlock your phone using FaceID is 1 in 1 million—unless you have an evil twin, of course. This security is all relative, though, as there will also be situations where either system could be abused. That’s why many experts recommend using a longer password instead of always relying on TouchID and FaceID to secure your phone. Despite any security concerns with the two systems, there is a place for these biometric securities on the iPhone. Experts like Allan Borch say that both are secure enough for general use. "Apple’s TouchID and FaceID are generally secure and basically work in the same way. Pairing both makes for a redundant, invisible security system. Whichever one unlocked first would open your phone, making errors much more uncommon," Borch said. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Email Address Sign up There was an error. Please try again. You're in! Thanks for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. Thank you for signing up! Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit