This Popular iPhone Feature Is Back After a Four-Year Hiatus

Apple has brought Touch ID back to the iPhone, just not in the location that longtime users will remember.

Apple's newly announced iPhone Duo, the company's first foldable iPhone, doesn't have Face ID like Apple's other iPhones. Instead, it uses a Touch ID sensor built into the side button. It can be used to authenticate the same way whether the device is open or closed.

This makes it the first new iPhone with Touch ID since the third-generation iPhone SE arrived in March 2022, and the first iPhone to put the sensor somewhere other than a Home button. Apple has used a similar top-button arrangement on the iPad Air and iPad mini for years, so the technology itself isn't new.

Is this a one-off for the foldable? Probably. Some regular iPhone users are likely to be too used to Face ID for it to ever be replaced, but there's a significant cohort of users who prefer touch authentication. If you're put off by the Duo because of its reliance on Touch ID, bear in mind that you can also unlock it with an Apple Watch.

Pre-orders for the device open October 16, with availability beginning Friday, October 23.