Next Apple Watch might come with a Touch ID and under-display camera support

If a new patent filed by Apple is anything to go by, the company is possibly exploring the idea of adding a Touch ID to the Apple Watch along with an under-display camera sensor. Apple has filed a patent with the title “Electronic device having sealed button biometric sensing system”, as was spotted by Patently Apple.

The patent features a Touch ID, which is basically a fingerprint sensor, that can be embedded into the side button on the Apple Watch. This will allow users to unlock devices with biometric authentication and use it for making purchases as well.

There is also another patent that’s been filed by Apple titled ‘Electronic devices with two-stage display’, as spotted by AppleInsider. This features a plan to layer the display panels to include a camera and flash that will only be visible when needed.

One of the display layers, as per the patent, has a pixel array for displaying images and the outer layer will have an array of light modulator cells that can become transparent or block out light when the camera needs to function.

This tech patented by Apple for the under display camera could also be used on other devices like the iPhone and the iPad, but the patent in particular only focuses on the Apple Watch.

As is the case with all patents, just because it has been filed it does not mean that Apple will actually include this tech in its devices any time soon. It just means that the company is interested in exploring and developing these features that may or may not be included in future devices.

We’ve heard about the Touch ID on the side button for Apple Watch before, but the under display camera support is a new addition and we’ll just wait and watch.