Apple wants to bring Touch ID to its watches starting next year

According to a new report purportedly based on internal Apple developer code, the company is currently busy exploring ways to bring Touch ID (aka a fingerprint scanner if you don't live in Apple's world) to its watches.

This will arrive next year at the earliest, so presumably on the Apple Watch Ultra 4. The code in question specifically references "AppleMesa", which has long been the company's internal codename for Touch ID.

Since the code is for internal use only, the idea is most likely still in the prototype stage. Hence, none of the watches coming out this year will have the feature.

If you're wondering just where a fingerprint sensor would even go on a watch, the answer is quite simple when we look at smartphones - basically, it's either going to be embedded into a button, or into the screen. An optical in-display sensor has been rumored in the past, and of course there's always the route of putting it in the side button.

A rumor from last week claimed Apple's watches are due for a big redesign next year, and this might fit right in with that. The 2026 models may also get a new processor.

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