{"id":3330,"date":"2026-09-10T16:06:57","date_gmt":"2026-09-10T15:06:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mag.certideal.com\/?p=3330"},"modified":"2026-09-10T16:10:07","modified_gmt":"2026-09-10T15:10:07","slug":"iphone-duo-drops-face-id-for-touch-id","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mag.certideal.com\/en\/iphone-duo-drops-face-id-for-touch-id\/","title":{"rendered":"The iPhone Duo drops Face ID, but Apple has another idea"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The iPhone Duo<\/strong> is probably the most unusual iPhone Apple has ever released. As the company\u2019s first foldable model, it introduces a 7.6-inch internal display<\/strong>, a 5.4-inch external screen, and a version of iOS 27 extensively redesigned to take advantage of the new form factor. But it also drops a technology that has become almost inseparable from the iPhone: Face ID<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead, Apple is bringing back Touch ID<\/strong>, integrated directly into the side button. It\u2019s an approach already familiar from certain iPads and allows fingerprint authentication to work whether the iPhone Duo is closed or fully unfolded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Apple has also included a second authentication method that Mac users will already know very well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Apple Watch can unlock the iPhone Duo<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Users with an Apple Watch<\/strong> can use their watch to unlock the iPhone Duo without having to place a finger on the Touch ID button.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The concept isn\u2019t entirely new within Apple\u2019s ecosystem. Automatic unlocking with Apple Watch has been available on the Mac for years, while Apple has also expanded some proximity-based unlocking capabilities to the iPhone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the iPhone Duo, however, the feature takes on greater importance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Without Face ID, Touch ID becomes the phone\u2019s main biometric authentication method. A foldable smartphone can also be used in very different positions: closed, unfolded like a tablet, or resting on a surface with its two halves positioned at an angle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having to reach for the side button every time could prove less natural than the facial authentication owners of recent iPhones have become accustomed to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With an Apple Watch on the wrist, the iPhone Duo can be unlocked without directly interacting with Touch ID<\/strong>. In some situations, this could provide an experience closer to the almost invisible authentication offered by Face ID.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why did Apple remove Face ID?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This is where some caution is necessary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Apple hasn\u2019t provided a sufficiently detailed technical explanation confirming exactly why Face ID was left out of the iPhone Duo. It would therefore be premature to attribute the decision entirely to the device\u2019s thickness or internal space constraints.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The foldable design is nevertheless a plausible factor<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The iPhone Duo uses an architecture very different from a conventional iPhone, and Apple has placed considerable emphasis on keeping the device thin when unfolded. The TrueDepth system required for Face ID contains several components, making its integration more complex than that of a conventional front-facing camera.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is reasonable to assume that the constraints associated with the foldable design influenced Apple\u2019s decisions<\/strong>, but that remains an interpretation unless Apple provides a more detailed technical explanation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is clear is that Apple already has considerable experience with Touch ID integrated into a physical button thanks to several generations of iPad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An iPhone that borrows a lot from the iPad<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The decision also reveals something interesting about the product\u2019s philosophy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The iPhone Duo appears less like a traditional iPhone with a folding display and more like a device positioned somewhere between an iPhone and an iPad mini<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When unfolded, its 7.6-inch screen provides enough room to display multiple apps and take advantage of the new multitasking features in iOS 27. Apple has also redesigned parts of the interface and repositioned certain controls to accommodate the device\u2019s changing configurations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The phone can even be partially folded and placed on a surface for watching video or making a FaceTime call without holding it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This broader design philosophy may help explain why Apple has accepted choices that would normally seem unusual on a premium iPhone, including Touch ID.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Apple\u2019s real bet may be software<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Apple is arriving relatively late to the foldable smartphone market. Samsung, Google, Honor and Huawei have already spent several generations refining devices in this category.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The iPhone Duo therefore needs to offer more than an impressive hinge or a large folding display.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Its real differentiator could be the integration between the hardware, iOS 27 and Apple\u2019s wider ecosystem<\/strong>. Unlocking the phone with an Apple Watch is a small but telling example: an existing Apple device can make one of the Duo\u2019s biggest changes feel less disruptive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To me, that\u2019s where the iPhone Duo becomes particularly interesting. Apple hasn\u2019t simply folded an iPhone in half. The company appears willing to reconsider some long-standing iPhone conventions to make the software better suited to a foldable format.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The absence of Face ID will still be difficult to ignore, especially on such an ambitious device.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A compromise that may matter less in everyday use<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Touch ID certainly isn\u2019t the technology many would have expected to return on Apple\u2019s most unconventional iPhone. Yet integrating it into the side button makes sense for a device designed to be used in several different configurations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Apple Watch owners, the absence of Face ID may also prove less disruptive than it initially appears.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it would be premature to describe the Apple Watch as a complete substitute for Face ID. Touch ID remains the biometric authentication system built into the phone, while the watch provides an additional unlocking option.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The real test will be whether this combination feels natural enough in everyday use to make Face ID\u2019s absence largely irrelevant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

FAQ<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Does the iPhone Duo have Face ID?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

No. Face ID is not available on the iPhone Duo<\/strong>. Apple relies primarily on Touch ID for biometric authentication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where is Touch ID located on the iPhone Duo?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Touch ID sensor is integrated into the side button<\/strong>, allowing it to work whether the smartphone is open or closed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can an Apple Watch unlock the iPhone Duo?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Yes. A compatible, paired Apple Watch can provide an additional way to unlock the iPhone Duo without directly using Touch ID.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why did Apple remove Face ID?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Apple hasn\u2019t provided enough technical detail to attribute the decision to one specific reason. Constraints related to the foldable design are a plausible explanation, but they shouldn\u2019t be presented as an officially confirmed reason<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The iPhone Duo is probably the most unusual iPhone Apple has ever released. As the company\u2019s first foldable model, it introduces a 7.6-inch internal display, a 5.4-inch external screen, and a version of iOS 27 extensively redesigned to take advantage of the new form factor. But it also drops a technology that has become almost inseparable from the iPhone: Face ID.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":3329,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3330","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mag.certideal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3330","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mag.certideal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mag.certideal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mag.certideal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mag.certideal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3330"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mag.certideal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3330\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3331,"href":"https:\/\/mag.certideal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3330\/revisions\/3331"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mag.certideal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3329"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mag.certideal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3330"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mag.certideal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3330"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mag.certideal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3330"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}