Touch ID is one of the systems that marked a before and after in the security of Apple devices. The integration of the fingerprint as a security tool is one of the security systems that Apple continues to use today on its computers and iPad. However, its use on iPhones has been limited after the removal of the front bezel with the arrival of the iPhone X. Apple's new utility patent shows how the Touch ID system could reach external remotes to allow user authentication and perform different actions, remote controls such as the Siri Remote on Apple TV.
Touch ID could reach remote controls like the Apple TV
Apple's new patent shows the integration of external systems to remote controls or electronic devices. This new patent is not a product patent but a utility patent. In other words, it covers the invention of a concept and not a product, and obviously other people or companies are prohibited from using or selling the invention without authorization.
In this case we can see the integration of different biometric systems in the same external device. To be able to see the invention in a practical way, it must be taken to practical examples such as Touch ID integration into a control remote, as stated in the patent. In the case of Apple it could be the Siri Remote, the Apple TV remote, which allows control of the device.
The Apple TV would be unlocked through the Touch ID system inserted inside the Siri Remote detecting the person who is unlocking it. Knowing how to identify which person has the command would allow different actions to be carried out, such as showing different user sessions.
This whole concept could be ported to other remote controls related to HomeKit. Another example could be a light system that would have a Touch ID control that, upon unlocking, would determine the person in the family who is accessing it by turning on a custom light setting.