Iris scanner will put the ‘eye’ in iPhone in 2018

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Apple devices will scan the iris of the user's eye
The window to your soul will soon be the key to your iPhone.
Photo: Bill Dickerson/Flickr

In the near future, you won’t even have to touch your iPhone to unlock it.

Smartphone manufacturers are racing to add new iris-scanning technology to devices, and Apple is also reportedly planning to join the battle by bringing the feature to iPhones in 2018.

The addition of eye scanning could completely replace Touch ID and the home button on future iPhones, but according to a new rumor, Apple won’t be the first smartphone-maker to bring the feature to the masses.

“Samsung is expected to lead all vendors by releasing its new flagship smartphone supporting iris-recognition technology in the second half of 2016,” reports DigiTimes. “Apple is likely to roll out new iPhone devices with iris sensors in 2018.”

Chinese-based companies like Xiaomi and LeEco are also supposedly working on their own iris-scanning solutions as well. Unlocking a smartphone with an iris scan could bring some big benefits like faster unlock times and increased security, but making a sensor that also works well in low light could be a tough task for manufacturers.

Other rumored features for Apple’s 2018 iPhone haven’t surfaced yet, but the addition could be a big upgrade from the 2017 iPhone, which is rumored to feature a redesigned body, curved OLED display, improved camera and more.

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