“Am I the only one disappointed by Touch ID on the new iPhone 5S? ” Anthony Wing Kosner writes for Forbes. “My own experience has been that it worked great the first day after I got the phone and almost not at all since. So I feel a little like I’ve been duped into actually using a passcode (which I never did before) so that I could use this cool new feature (score one for the added security benefits of touch ID!) But then it stopped working. So after five tries (or before) I punch in my passcode. I do that a lot.”
“Did I try rescanning my fingerprints? Yes. Updating my system software? Yes. Resetting to factory setting and starting out with a clean install and not using a backup because it could mess up the firmware?” Kosner writes. “No, not yet. Too much work.”
“If you go to Apple’s support discussions and search Touch ID, the top hit is entitled Touch ID being erratic. It is not a well travelled thread which would indicate that there are not massive numbers of people having the problem OR that not enough users are sufficiently annoyed (yet) to be posting on this forum,” Kosner writes. “But what I found there was essentially my story. It worked well at first and then became erratic.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: All of our iPhone 5s units’ Touch ID systems work perfectly. Nothing erratic at all. Zero issues.
No issues here at all with mine, I’ve had my 5S since 9/25.
works fine. perfectly in fact. I scanned both thumbs into additional finger slots to “saturate” the reader for goofy presentions I make to the scanner – now it registers 100% first try
yeah, that’s a good tip and more people should do it.
Yeap did the same thing with both thumbs. No problem at all not one issue. Into a week of owning the device
Same here! What a coincidence! Since the release day… 🙂
Mine has worked without issue since I got it on 09/20.
It did. Never works anymore for me. ;(
When it does work it’s a joy
Maybe you have dirty hands, wash more regularly.
Also, how you first setup your print is important. Maysure it gets good reading and cover as much of your print as possible during the initial setup. You can always delete and try againt.
Yeah I don’t think that’s the case. I work with my hands and washing before touching my phone (or much of anything else) is a regular routine.
That being said I think I have to re record some fingers now that I’m more attuned to exactly how I’m pressing the button.
I will also say that the touch ID never works after I wash my hands until they are completely dry so that could be the most common issue– moist phalanges
When we implemented the time and attendance system by finger print readers at work, there were a lot of people that the readers were unable to read their fingerprint at least 75% (our systems is happy with just 75% of the finger reading).
Some people had a very good 100%, most of the people pass the 75% minimum data require of the finger, but there was like 5 % of the people that none of their fingerprints could be read, may be that is your case. Do you check at work with your finger? does it works?
You could do like I did:
Register both your thumbs twice, then the remaining 5th your pointer you most commonly use…
It’s a capacitative touch surface.. Water would definitely cause it to not work.. That applies to the screen too.. U believe most people knows that..
Here’s the deal. Mine did not work right out of the box. I could train it just fine but it would not unlock with the scanner. Here is what I found. When I initially set up my 5s i restored my previous settings and apps from iTunes. My touch id did not work. So I restored the 5s back to stock out of the box status and manually set up my 5s without restoring from back up my info. That was it! Something in my previous backup was interfering with the fingerprint sensor working right. I have had it now for 3 weeks and the touch id works flawlessly. Try doing a restore then set up as new like I did. It works. Just to be sure I restored it a second time and put my old back up in again and the touch id quit working again. I then restored it again and set it up as new and the touch id works right every time.
You’re probably just not doing it RIGHT 😉
If your phone is already awake and prompting you to unlock or for your pass code, just place your finger on the sensor without clicking it. If the iPhone displays the message ‘try again’, lift your finger and place it against the sensor again without clicking the home button.
That should do the trick! I had to learn the finite details myself 😀
Try paying attention to how your finger is on the button most of the time, especially when it doesn’t work. Then delete your registered fingers and do it over again with emphasis on the point of your finger you notice yourself using.
And just now I felt bad for being negative and went to try and it worked perfectly — I think my iPhone is f*cking with me 😉
No issues. Works perfectly since day 1
Rock solid… Like a glove!
Works first try 90% of the time. Works better with my thumbs than pointer fingers.
No problems on my phone so far.
Works great for me!
After I eat finger foods require thumb clean-up.
Perfect!
I have my thumb and index finger scanned on both hands .. So it aways works for the different grips i use!
Hit and miss at best! The whole fingerprint recognition process is very inconsistent and frustrating for me on the 5S and yes, I have followed all instructions ‘very carefully’.
Mine works every time. My experience in the past is that it’s the nut behind the keyboard that is the problem.
Works fine. Possibly the only thing not working correctly this idiot from Forbes
Exactly. Slimeball analysts tend to have excessively grubby fingers. It comes from all that lard they rub onto their scalps.
When will people understand? If you have a problem with your iPhone, take it back for a replacement or if you just really want to bitch about it, replace it for an Android. That will give you something to really bitch about then. Otherwise, shut the hell up! People are sick and tired of reading some delusional opinion piece where the author just like to hear himself talk!
My thoughts exactly. He should have done his homework before whining publicly on Forbes….doosh.
Work awesome for me. Plus those polls are stupid. When you calibrate don’t out your finger on the same exact spot. Move it around.
Works great for me I have had few problems. I’ve noticed that when my fingers were wet I had to try them before it read properly.
Works fine every time for me except when I tried to show someone and put the my finger at the right angle but put the phone at an odd angle so they could see better.
It works perfect for me!! I scanned my thumbs in a 180 degrees. Parallel to the bottom of the phone in 1 direction, then all the way around to the other direction. I unlock my phone 50 times a day without issue.
Both of our phones Touch ID fingerprint work fine. Wonderful technology superbly implemented.
Always works within 1 second for me. I have both thumbs and both index fingers scanned in. One or two finger activation is a snap. Occasionally I miss the button and have to reposition my finger. Overall, it is easier then a swipe.
Actually it’s 0.4 seconds from sleep and 0.24 seconds from the lock screen, and possibly a little faster. I made a video of it here:
FUD
Or this guy is an idiot. Mine as everyone works perfect every time! One of the many great Apple ideas.
I’m an early adopter since 2007 (well, since 1984 really) and this is the first time something big hasn’t just worked. I’ve tried everything to get Touch ID to work longer than the day I set the new fingerprints and it just won’t remember the next day. This morning I finally went in to set the pass code requirement to ‘after 15 minutes’ and discovered that the only choices now are Immediate or not using a pass code at all. I was frustrated enough this morning to turn it off entirely — something I’ve never done with all my other iPhones. It’s definitely a real problem for some of us! Will keep my 5S but I do plan to take it back to the Apple Store to see about a replacement that might work properly.
Yeah I’d get on that. It’s pretty strange you’d have an issue out of the box as Apple fully tests their devices prior to deployment.
It was as intended for me.
Now when I have bacon grease on my finger tips it doesn’t work but that’s just me being lazy
No issues on 2 iPome 5S. Sound like a PIBiPAF issue.
Not a single glitch. Easy to set up. Easy to use. Never fails (ok sometimes I try to fool it with the other thumb).
You’re holding it wrong.