Here's How Apple Prevented Google From Putting A Fingerprint Sensor On Its Giant Smartphone

If you've ever used the Nexus 6, you might notice the subtle dimple on the back of the phone where the Motorola logo is located.

That indent was originally supposed to house a fingerprint sensor, but an Apple acquisition changed those plans.

Apple bought Authentec, a company that makes fingerprint sensors, for $356 million in 2012.

Motorola CEO Dennis Woodside recently told The Telegraph (via The Verge) that he believed Authentec made the best fingerprint sensors in the industry, and he wasn't willing to settle for the second best for the Nexus 6.

"The secret behind that is that it was supposed to be fingerprint recognition, and Apple bought the best supplier," Woodside told The Telegraph. "So the second best supplier was the only one available to everyone else in the industry and they weren't there yet."

Woodside said he doesn't think the addition of a fingerprint sensor would have made a big difference anyway.

Apple and Samsung put fingerprint sensors in the home button of their smartphones, but HTC's One Max is one of the few phones with a scanner located on the back. Some reviews criticized this placement since it's harder to see and feel exactly where the sensor is when trying to enroll your fingerprint.