With mere hours to go until Apple announces its next-generation iPhone 5S, a photo has leaked showing that much talked-about fingerprint reader, dubbed Touch ID sensor.

The photo was sent to nowhereelse.fr from a reliable source. This is the same site that published a photo of the Lightning connector ahead of its announcement last year. As you can see, consistent with other rumours, the home button has lost its square marking in favour of a pure white circle that acts as a "Touch ID sensor".

This comes after The Wall Street Journal's sources confirmed Apple would be using a fingerprint scanner in its next device. With the amount of business apps that could use this hardware to make payments easier, and the story coming from a business paper like the WSJ, we're confident tonight's the night for Apple's Touch ID sensor to be unveiled.

Apple innovating again could be just the move Tim Cook needs to give the fruit giant a boost after Samsung gobbled up lots of handset sales this year. A Touch ID scanner seems like a way to make transmitting money simpler, making this is a typical Apple hardware move.

Check back at 6pm BST to get full live coverage of the Apple launch event. Before then read everything you need to know about the iPhone 5S.