Apple Inc. is working on in-screen fingerprint scanning technology for its next iPhone models as it desperately attempts to keep up with Android phones.

The report by Bloomberg also noted that although at this stage the technology may debut in 2020, it may be pushed out to 2021 because of issues with suppliers.

Apple was one of the first companies to offer fingerprint scanning via the iPhone’s home button in 2013, but it then abandoned development of the technology in favor of Face ID, a face authentication security feature that debuted in the iPhone X in 2017.

Some other phone makers offer face authentication as well, but fingerprint scanning has remained the most popular form of smartphone user authentication and for good reason: It’s more reliable and multifunctional. There’s no reason why both technologies can’t work side-by-side and that’s likely to be seen with iPhone’s with Touch ID support.

The same report also said Apple is aiming to resurrect a low-cost iPhone. An entry-level iPhone was last seen with the iPhone SE that was discontinued in September 2018.

Like the SE before it, the new model will tap into older iPhone technology, in this case the form factor of the iPhone 8 complete with a home button and 4.7-inch screen. That home button would include Touch ID fingerprint scanning as well, though built into the home button.

Apple’s strategy in previously offering low-end iPhones has met with mixed results. On one hand it gives Apple a more affordable entry point into the iPhone/ iOS ecosystem for those who can’t afford new iPhone models. But it’s questionable whether they’re wanted in the first place. As Quartz pointed out “Apple, for better or worse, is a premium products manufacturer.”

Price creep is a major issue for Apple, however, with its new models regularly increasing in price. That may be even a bigger issue with upcoming iPhones as the U.S.-China trade war continues as potential tariffs on Chinese-made goods continue to rise.

A significant portion of iPhone components are made in mainland China. The screens on iPhones in particular are manufactured by Foxconn Technology Group at its Chengdu megaplant, though Foxconn was reported to be shifting some production to other countries to avoid tariffs.

Apple’s next iPhone launch, which won’t include a return of Touch ID, is scheduled for Sept. 10.

Photo: Pxhere