iOS 27 code suggests foldable iPhone Ultra will use Touch ID, not Face ID

Code in the iOS 27 beta is adding weight to the long-running rumor that Apple’s first foldable iPhone—widely expected to be branded iPhone Ultra—will authenticate with Touch ID instead of Face ID.

AppleInsider reports that MacRumors forum member and code digger pdfu highlighted Car Key localization strings, present since the fourth developer beta, that describe an iPhone supporting both Ultra Wideband (UWB) and Touch ID. Every shipping iPhone with a UWB chip (from iPhone 11 onward) uses Face ID today, so pairing UWB with Touch ID would be a new combination.

That is not a formal product confirmation. It is a software string. Apple could still change course before Wednesday’s Surprise and Shine event, or the string could refer to unreleased test hardware. Still, it is one of the clearest code-level hints yet that the foldable will follow the iPad Air side-button fingerprint model rather than TrueDepth Face ID.

Why Touch ID keeps showing up in Ultra rumors

Supply-chain and dummy-unit reporting for months has argued the Ultra’s ultra-thin book-style chassis leaves little room for the TrueDepth camera array. The rumored foldable Ultra is expected to keep front cameras for selfies and video calls on both displays, while moving biometric unlock to a Touch ID button in the side rail—similar to recent iPad Air and iPad mini designs.

That trade-off sits awkwardly with pricing rumors that put the device above $2,000. Buyers would be paying a premium for a new form factor while accepting an older biometric approach on the phone itself. Early hands-on chatter relayed by outlets covering the rumor cycle has generally treated the fingerprint button as acceptable given the thinness goal.

How strong the signal is

pdfu’s framing, as summarized by AppleInsider, is careful: the Car Key string is strong circumstantial evidence, not absolute proof. Face ID remaining on iPhone 18 Pro models would also keep the two product lines differentiated—Pros with Face ID and a Dynamic Island story, Ultra with Touch ID and a foldable chassis.

Separately, production and inventory reporting still warn that early Ultra volume may be tight; see our note on limited early Ultra production. Biometric choice and supply are different questions, but both will be clearer once Apple presents the device on stage.

Until then, treat Touch ID on the Ultra as a high-confidence rumor reinforced by beta code, not a shipping-spec sheet.

Source: AppleInsider — Code in iOS 27 seems to prove iPhone Ultra will use Touch ID