Admit it! The fingerprint sensor sucks.

[BJonson]

Let's all admit it, the fingerprint sensor on the 5s sucks. I have to re-register my fingerprint every couple of days. Everyone I know that has a 5s says the same thing. My wife has stopped using it all together. Meanwhile, the fingerprint reader on my thinkpad which is like 3yrs old still can read my fingerprint every time.

Why does this fingerprint reader on the 5s suck so bad?

 

[Agent OrangeZ]

I had the same issues you are describing when the 5S launched... but Apple replaced my phone and it was good afterward.

 

[kkh786]

I have been using the sensor daily since Jan 18th.. and have no problems!
As good as the first day!
I think it is a feature that I would miss a lot if I moved phones!

 

[SandboxGeneral]

I admit nothing. I set it up on my 5s when I received it last year and it works every time and I use it every day. I've never had to reset anything.

For me, it works as intended.

 

[OrdinaryAvgGuy]

It is definitely inconsistent. It is a very cool feature and is convenient when it works, but I don't consider it a major selling point of the device (a Mr. Cook might disagree with me there).

 

[MacDawg]

My wife's works fine with no issues whatsoever

 

[BJonson]

The only thing I can think of is that the sensor detection is very shallow. So if my finger gets dry it won't read it. It can't distinguish between dry skin and a fingerprint. Or maybe we all have faulty phones.

 

[aristobrat]

Any time my iPhone 5s has an issue, the button has always been gunked up. Works great again after cleaning it off.

 

[thegrants82]

Let's all admit it, the fingerprint sensor on the 5s sucks. I have to re-register my fingerprint every couple of days. Everyone I know that has a 5s says the same thing. My wife has stopped using it all together. Meanwhile, the fingerprint reader on my thinkpad which is like 3yrs old still can read my fingerprint every time.

Why does this fingerprint reader on the 5s suck so bad?

Mine has worked perfect since launch day. I would have a hard time going without it now.

 

[spinedoc77]

It's freakin terrible. It works for a couple of hours, or maybe a day, then it is really terrible and I have to re-register. Forget about it if you get your hands dirty, or roughed up a little, it just refuses to work.

I also think it's a negative that Apple hasn't used the FP sensor for other password related stuff on the phone, or at least opened it up for devs to use in their apps.

 

[T5BRICK]

Mine works consistently well. I have noticed that if I've just washed my hands and my fingers are still a little damp, it takes an extra try to register, but otherwise it works really well for me.

 

[thehustleman]

Not surprised.


Isn't like fingerprint scanners are anything new

 

[BJonson]

Just found this thread:

https://discussions.apple.com/message/23454343#23454343#23454343

Maybe my problem is that I am registering the tip of my thumb. I followed the instructions there. Lets see if it sticks in the next day or so.

 

[jpcarro]

Works well for me. I retrained early on to get more angles on the forefingers and thumbs. Has worked great since.

 

[Consultant]

Had it since launch day. Works great in most occasions. I do have to wipe the grease off once in awhile.

If it doesn't work great for you, you need to setup your fingerprint the angle you try to unlock.

 

[CEmajr]

Works well for me on a consistent basis. Whereas the fingerprint scanner I had on my old HP HDX stopped working properly after a few months and I would have to scan several times to try and get it to read properly. Touch ID works well, Apple just needs to allow more uses for it.

 

[SMIDG3T]

Let's all admit it, the fingerprint sensor on the 5s sucks. I have to re-register my fingerprint every couple of days. Everyone I know that has a 5s says the same thing. My wife has stopped using it all together. Meanwhile, the fingerprint reader on my thinkpad which is like 3yrs old still can read my fingerprint every time.

Why does this fingerprint reader on the 5s suck so bad?

No. It doesn't. Set it up correctly and you'll be fine. I've had my 5s since launch and have seen the text "Try Again" around 2-4 times.

Over five months that's not bad at all.

Must be your iPhone.

 

[carjakester]

the first 2-3 months i had that problem now it works every single time. I love it.

 

[vomhorizon]

It worked flawless for me initially..then about a month into my using the 5s, it started to give me trouble with my left thumb (that i used very sparingly)..It was still giving me better than 80% accuracy overall, but i felt that my left thumb was a hit or miss most of the time. That was when i jailbroke the phone..After un-jailbreaking it i had to re-do the fingerprints and its been nearly a month since then and i can say that the fingerprint sensor now works nearly 100% of the time with all registered fingers. I think if you have a problem, try to re-register the prints..

 

[JetBlack7]

I actually prefer to use passcode instead of Touch ID.

 

[panzer06]

When I had my iPhone 5s it worked perfectly most of the time. The only time it acted inefficiently was when it was dirty, greasy or otherwise covered up. Wiping it clean always restored proper function.

Cheers,

 

[I7guy]

It clearly works most of the time. My thumbs are dry and sometimes the fp scanner doesn't read my thumbs, but that still takes less time than entering the password.

So, no, the fp reader "does not suck" by any stretch of the imagination.

 

[The Doctor11]

I'm not admitting anything. If you scan your whole finger and not the same part evey time it would work fine. I use it only moms phone all the time I don't have any problems.

 

[calibrationx]

I feel like there is definitely variation among phones. My Sprint one would have trouble reading my fingerprint a decent percentage of the time and I've only seen the "try again" message on my Verizon one about once.

 

[rockitdog]

It's not perfect but it's still amazing and works about 98% of the time for me. No complaints for me.