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Apple's next iPhone has been rumored to include a built-in fingerprint scanner, and code within the latest iOS beta seems to suggest that something is in the works. Developer Hamaz Sood has seemingly uncovered references to a biometric scanner located within the iPhone's home button. The alleged code is part of what looks to be a setup process for such a sensor: it describes users touching their thumb to the iPhone's home button, and watching an image of a thumbprint change colors.
iPhone home button to contain fingerprint sensor (found in beta 4) pic.twitter.com/tUlZ6xjeer
— Hamza Sood (@hamzasood) July 29, 2013
Sood has previously been responsible for uncovering hidden tweaks within iOS and developing tweaks of his own. But while features are sometimes hidden away in beta code, they don't always surface in public releases. The next iPhone has also been rumored to include a dual-LED flash, a slightly larger battery, and a high-speed camera feature. There's no word yet on when Apple will be debuting its next phone, but previous years have found iPhone announcements happening in mid-September and early October.
