Despite previous rumors don't expect Touch ID on any of the best Apple Watch models anytime soon. The latest rumor suggests Apple isn't even considering it as an option in favor of other features.
The leak comes from regular Apple tipster Instant Digital on Weibo where they claim that rumors about Apple adding "biometric authentication" on Watches and other wearables devices are "completely false" (machine translated).
"Apple's focus is on packing larger batteries and developing more advanced health sensors," Instant Digital wrote.
Touch ID would apparently take up too much space and would both increase costs and reduce the space available for the battery. This directly contradicts a rumor from last August.
At the time, code found by Macworld suggested that Touch ID was in the works for the Apple Watch Series 12 or Apple Watch Ultra 4. The fingerprint sensor would be underneath the display or integrated into a side button, ala the iPad mini or iPad Air.
At the moment, it's rumored that Apple won't introduce a big redesign for the Series 12. Instead, many of the latest rumors hint at a new suite of holistic sensor tech.
The big new feature may be a massive overhaul of the Health app. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman previously reported that Apple is developing an AI-powered, personalized wellness concierge. It would presumably bring all of your health, fitness and medical data under a single app.
We won't know for sure until the Apple Watch Series 12 launches, likely in September alongside the iPhone 18 Pro. However, new AI features might be announced at WWDC 2026 which kicks off in June.
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