iPhone 5s finger scanner

Apple’s big-thinkers have patented a new twist on fingerprint recognition technology, which could see future devices doing away with custom fingerprint readers in favour of having the phone’s display able to scan their owners’ prints.
The patent, which is based around biometric technology designed by Authentec — a company bought by Apple in 2012 — suggests the new sensor tech is small and thin enough to be sandwiched in between a smartphone’s usual layers of display components, meaning holding your thumb on the screen of your next iPhone (or your iPhone after that), may be enough to unlock it.