Touch ID on iMac's Magic Keyboard won't work with iPad Pro

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
Posted:
in iPad edited April 2021
The Touch ID sensor on the iMac's new Magic Keyboard reportedly won't work with the latest iPad Pro, despite running the same M1 chip powering compatible Macs.

The Magic Keyboard bundled with the 24-inch iMac won't employ Touch ID on the M1 iPad Pro
The Magic Keyboard bundled with the 24-inch iMac won't employ Touch ID on the M1 iPad Pro


Users can type on the keyboard while it's paired with the iPad Pro or other compatible Bluetooth devices. However, the keyboard's Touch ID sensor won't work with Apple's new tablet, according to MacRumors.

The updated Magic Keyboard ships in the box with the new 24-inch iMac that Apple announced in its "Spring Loaded" event on Tuesday. The keyboard marks Touch ID's first arrival on desktop Macs.

The iPad Pro already includes Apple's Face ID biometric system, which is faster and more secure than Touch ID.

While the keyboard's Touch ID support would have been redundant on the iPad Pro, the new tablet's M1 chip also powers other M1 Macs that will work with the keyboard's Touch ID. That broader compatibility had led some to speculate whether the two may work in tandem. However, Apple apparently saw no need to include external Touch ID support in iPadOS.

Apple bundles the new Magic Keyboard with more expensive models of the 24-inch iMac. The iPhone maker doesn't yet sell the keyboard as a standalone accessory, despite its working with M1 models of the MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and Mac mini.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 9
    entropysentropys Posts: 4,168member
    The argument that the iPad Pro doesn’t have the need because of Face ID smells like a justification after the fact.
    The Touch ID is there, sitting there useless like a tit on a bull.
    What it is, is a lack of coordination across Apple departments, something quite unApple. That said, could it not simply be a software or firmware update?

    edited April 2021 MplsPdysamoria
  • Reply 2 of 9
    sigma902sigma902 Posts: 17member
    Apple considers Face ID to be 10x more secure than Touch ID (1 in 100,000 strangers have similar enough fingerprints to unlock, versus 1 in a million people have a similar enough face [not counting identical twins, between young children or close blood relatives]). Therefore Touch ID would be a downgrade from expected security for an iPad Pro. iPads due to their portability compared to an iMac are likely to encounter more evildoers and need greater security standards. 
    doozydozenwatto_cobra
  • Reply 3 of 9
    jdwjdw Posts: 1,339member
    sigma902 said:
    Apple considers Face ID to be 10x more secure than Touch ID (1 in 100,000 strangers have similar enough fingerprints to unlock, versus 1 in a million people have a similar enough face [not counting identical twins, between young children or close blood relatives]). Therefore Touch ID would be a downgrade from expected security for an iPad Pro. iPads due to their portability compared to an iMac are likely to encounter more evildoers and need greater security standards. 

    It doesn't matter if some consider it a "downgrade." What matters is what the consumer wants.  Personally, having 2 unlock options is an UPGRADE, even if one contends that one of those methods is less secure.
    pulseimagesMplsPdysamoria
  • Reply 4 of 9
    sonnyjzsonnyjz Posts: 1member
    Stupid question but will this keyboard work with my previous gen Macbook pro?
    pulseimagesEsquireCatswatto_cobra
  • Reply 5 of 9
    sdw2001sdw2001 Posts: 18,016member
    entropys said:
    The argument that the iPad Pro doesn’t have the need because of Face ID smells like a justification after the fact.
    The Touch ID is there, sitting there useless like a tit on a bull.
    What it is, is a lack of coordination across Apple departments, something quite unApple. That said, could it not simply be a software or firmware update?

    I’d bet my house it’s deliberate and for security reasons 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 6 of 9
    pulseimagespulseimages Posts: 603member
    sonnyjz said:
    Stupid question but will this keyboard work with my previous gen Macbook pro?
    It won’t work with my 2019 16” MBP. 
    EsquireCatswatto_cobra
  • Reply 7 of 9
    MplsPMplsP Posts: 3,931member
    sigma902 said:
    Apple considers Face ID to be 10x more secure than Touch ID (1 in 100,000 strangers have similar enough fingerprints to unlock, versus 1 in a million people have a similar enough face [not counting identical twins, between young children or close blood relatives]). Therefore Touch ID would be a downgrade from expected security for an iPad Pro. iPads due to their portability compared to an iMac are likely to encounter more evildoers and need greater security standards. 
    unless you have a face mask on...
    dysamoria
  • Reply 8 of 9
    packfan73packfan73 Posts: 9member
    sigma902 said:
    Apple considers Face ID to be 10x more secure than Touch ID (1 in 100,000 strangers have similar enough fingerprints to unlock, versus 1 in a million people have a similar enough face [not counting identical twins, between young children or close blood relatives]). Therefore Touch ID would be a downgrade from expected security for an iPad Pro. iPads due to their portability compared to an iMac are likely to encounter more evildoers and need greater security standards. 
    Crazy idea, what if people wanted to require both Face ID and Touch ID for better security? An identical twin would be very unlikely to have matching fingerprints. Obviously I don't think that support is there but now that this keyboard exists it is possible to do in a future iPadOS version.
    dysamoriawatto_cobra
  • Reply 9 of 9
    anonymouseanonymouse Posts: 6,860member
    sonnyjz said:
    Stupid question but will this keyboard work with my previous gen Macbook pro?
    If you are asking if it will work with Touch ID to unlock your MacBook Pro, then I would expect not, and for the same reason it doesn't work with the iPad Pro as the article indicates. (Really, I'm not sure why this is news.) The reason it doesn't work is because those devices are not designed to work with a wireless Touch ID unit.
    watto_cobra
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