This Clever Mod Gets Around Apple’s Touch ID Restrictions

The lengths people will go to work around Apple’s restrictions are honestly impressive.

@Macworld

Touch ID works brilliantly on a Mac, but Apple only offers it on its own compatible Magic Keyboards. That becomes frustrating for anyone who prefers a mechanical keyboard or already has a completely different desk setup. Apple also requires a Mac with Apple silicon for its external Touch ID keyboards.

That is where this strange little contraption comes in.

It Turns a Magic Keyboard Into a Touch ID Module

Instead of trying to crack or bypass Apple’s security, the creator designed a custom enclosure that reuses the genuine internals from a Magic Keyboard with Touch ID.

The keyboard’s Touch ID sensor, circuit board, and battery are removed and transferred into the enclosure. Once everything is installed, you essentially have a standalone Touch ID module that can sit beside whatever keyboard you actually want to use.

It is less of a Touch ID hack and more of a carefully designed housing transplant. The original Apple hardware is still doing the important work, but you are no longer forced to keep the entire Magic Keyboard on your desk.

Then He Added a Magic Trackpad

The smaller Touch ID enclosure was already a clever solution, but the creator took the idea even further.

A larger version includes a perfectly sized space for an Apple Magic Trackpad. The trackpad drops directly into the enclosure, while the transplanted Touch ID hardware sits neatly in the corner.

That gives you a trackpad and Touch ID in one compact desk accessory. You can keep using a mechanical keyboard while still having Apple’s fingerprint authentication and gesture controls within reach.

The enclosure is also battery-powered, so it does not need to remain permanently connected by a cable. According to the listing, it is designed around the Lightning version of the Magic Keyboard with Touch ID and includes a USB-C-to-Lightning adapter.

You can view the Touch ID and Magic Trackpad mod kit on Etsy here.

It Is a Kit, Not a Finished Apple Accessory

There is one important detail to understand before buying it.

The listing only includes the custom enclosure and prepared mounting hardware. It does not come with a Touch ID sensor, Magic Keyboard internals, or a Magic Trackpad. You have to provide those Apple components yourself, either by taking apart an existing keyboard or finding a used donor unit.

That makes this more of a DIY project than a simple plug-and-play accessory. Still, for someone who wants Touch ID without giving up their favorite keyboard, it solves a very specific problem in a surprisingly clean way.

Final Thoughts

Apple probably never expected people to tear apart a Magic Keyboard just to separate Touch ID from it.

But that is exactly what makes this device so interesting. It takes hardware Apple locked into one product and rearranges it into something that may be far more useful for custom desk setups.

It is unusual, slightly excessive, and genuinely clever.

See you in the next article!