Apple was just awarded a patent so that they could place their Touch ID (fingerprint scanner) from iOS mobile devices to their remote. The decision to add Touch ID to the Apple TV Remote could make it easy to adjust the display and audio settings like volume and brightness. It could also provide easy access to authorized family members to make purchases, to download media from iTunes, login and access various user’s personal preferences and stream user accounts. If Apple does plan to use Apple TV to control home entertainment in the future, then Touch ID could help control those futures. It has been reported that the remote will be able to be used to interact with home automation features and appliances.
You can view the rest of the patent and its codes on Patently Apple.
