Face ID has existed on the iPhone for many years, but the Mac still depends on Touch ID. That gap has always felt odd, and now a new iPhone Air leak shows why Apple has stayed away from Face ID on MacBooks and why that may soon change.
A leaker called Instant Digital shared new details on Weibo about the next iPhone Air model. He said Apple plans to use a new Face ID system that takes up far less space inside the device, which solves one of the biggest limits Apple has faced on thinner hardware.
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What the iPhone Air leak says
Instant Digital wrote that “the iPhone Air (2) will feature an ultra-wide-angle lens, positioned horizontally” and that Apple is “customizing an ultra-thin Face ID component from its suppliers” to fit everything inside the slimmer body.
He made it clear that this work focuses on the iPhone Air. Still, the change matters because it shows Apple now knows how to shrink Face ID hardware without cutting features.
Why MacBooks never had Face ID
For years, the main reason Macs missed out on Face ID has been space. The lid of a MacBook is thin, and it already holds the display, webcam, and other parts. A full Face ID system needs several sensors and a depth camera, which do not fit easily in that narrow strip.
Touch ID on the keyboard solved the login problem more simply, so Apple stuck with it. But many users still want Face ID for quick logins, app approvals, and password autofill without lifting a finger.
Face ID part changes everything
If Apple now has an “ultra-thin Face ID component,” that removes the biggest technical roadblock. The same part that fits inside the iPhone Air could also fit inside a MacBook lid.
That opens the door for Apple to bring Face ID to:
- MacBook Air
- MacBook Pro
- iMac, which also uses thin display panels
Once the hardware fits, Apple only needs to adapt macOS to support it in the same smooth way iOS and iPadOS already do.
When Face ID could reach the Mac
The MacBook Pro is set for a major redesign later this year, but Face ID still feels like a longer-term move. Apple tends to introduce new biometric hardware carefully, especially on Macs used for work and security.
A future MacBook model, not the very next one, stands as the most likely place for the first Mac with Face ID. If Apple already builds the part for the iPhone Air, it makes sense to reuse it across more products over time.
This leak does not confirm Face ID on MacBooks. It shows something more important. Apple now has the hardware it needed to make it possible.
Touch ID will not disappear overnight, but the arrival of a thinner Face ID system brings Apple one step closer to putting the same fast, hands-free login on Macs that iPhone and iPad users already enjoy.
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