iPhone 16e Face ID kinda sucks for me

[eyoungren]

Hmm, not even when Apple finally manages to incorporate more useful sensors it the watch/their bands?

No.

I'm going to put it this way, another reason I do not want the Apple Watch. I've had anxiety almost my entire life. The Apple Watch has the reputation of being some medical life saver. Which is nice, if you have the financial security to take care of what it may or may not have detected. If you don't, then that leads to a whole other world of anxiety, panic and fear I do not wish to be in.

I don't need any anxiety producing sensors of that kind in my life.

 

[eyoungren]

I had a similar issue and found that the easiest solution (for me) was to 3D print a tiny phone holder so it would stay up, slightly tilted upwards. It takes less space on the desk and it makes it see my face for unlocking just fine.

I use business card holders.

 

[537635]

FaceID >> TouchID

- safer (more difficut to hack)
- allows for dynamic notification unlocking by just looking at the screen
- works with gloves, dry fingers, wet fingers... for those who use gloves when outside 2-3 months per year or more this is probably dealbreaker, TouchID is useless in these scenarios
- it actually works fine when flat on the table, you just have to lean in a bit or you use a MagSafe stand is this is so important or you just put the phone at a slight angle
- unlocking the phone is seamless, you operate the screen without some additional button interaction (like on iPads)
- ...


There are simply tons of pros and very little cons. Also notice how after years and years competitions is still unable to copy it. Sure they have the "camera recognition, but this isn't it".
The tech behind FaceID is simply spectacular from optical standpoint.

Check out this 6y old thread: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/faceid-analysis.2153432/

This is the unlock sequence slowed down by a factor of 3. As I turn on the phone, the flood illuminator flashes on my face. You can see me looking away, then down at the phone and dot projector fires almost instantly. Honestly the tech behind faceID is just incredible. The rest of the herd are just crawling behind here.

 

[xXRainKingXx]

Agree with OP. Even when leaning over my phone sometimes Face ID won't work. It also doesn't work great when lying in bed. Don't know whether it's the angle or whether its the dark. Either way, Touch ID was more reliable for me.

 

[maxoakland]

Face ID also sucks for me! It works about 40% of the time. I hate it SO much and wish I could just use Touch ID. It was a million times better

 

[geta]

Except for when wearing gloves, having dirty or wet fingers. Which happens a lot when being in the kitchen, using the phone in the tub or when it rains, during gardening, cycling, or any other activity where you might wear gloves or don’t want to take a second to tap on a very specific area on your big ass screen bezel.
Or when previews are off and it’s enough for you to just look at your phone to automatically be able to see it, except of course when you look at it from an off angle, like OP.
I concede that Face ID isn’t perfect, but it’s much better than Touch ID. I’ve used the 5s, SE and 6s, and I haven’t looked back at Touch ID once I got the iPhone X. I do have my SE around as a backup, so I get confronted with its drawbacks every now and then, it’s far worse.

I don’t have dirty or wet fingers, I don’t use my phone in the tub or while gardening, and when i'm cycling I use full face helmet with goggles so also Face ID is Useless.

 

[motrek]

Agree with OP. Even when leaning over my phone sometimes Face ID won't work. It also doesn't work great when lying in bed. Don't know whether it's the angle or whether its the dark. Either way, Touch ID was more reliable for me.

It being dark shouldn't matter, Face ID works by projecting a bajillion infrared dots all over and then reading them with an infrared camera. Actually it should work much better in pitch black vs. bright sunlight.

It doesn't work well when I'm lying in bed either. I think it's because I'm usually resting my head on my arm and it can't make sense of the arm.

 

[motrek]

Where is this “leaning=idiots” insecurity coming from?
I promise absolutely no one is thinking about you picking up your phone, you don’t look like an “idiot” (whatever that means in this case) and you are putting way too much thought into this.

Nobody has told me that I look like an idiot, but I certainly feel like an idiot when this thing that's smaller than a bar of soap is basically bossing me around.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

Nobody has told me that I look like an idiot, but I certainly feel like an idiot when this thing that's smaller than a bar of soap is basically bossing me around.

when TouchID doesn’t work, is that it also bossing you around?

 

[motrek]

when TouchID doesn’t work, is that it also bossing you around?

Touching the screen (or at least a home button near the screen) is how you operate the device to do literally anything else, so doing the same to unlock it hardly seems like a burden.

 

[Moonjumper]

touchId wasn't perfect, but faceID is much worse for me.

My iPhone spends most of the day laid on my desk. When I had touchID, I could just touch the phone to see what notifications I had. I have to pick up my current phone. touchId could be unreliable, but faceID struggles to recognise me far more often, especially if I am wearing a scarf or a hat in winter.

I recently upgraded to the latest iPad Pro. faceID is terrible on that. It often tells me I am out of range or at the wrong angle, and rarely works when I am laid in bed. Even worse, I am left handed and my right thumb sits naturally where the sensor is when holding it.

 

[anthony13]

Recently upgraded from an SE to a 16e. All my friends with newer iPhones assured me that I would love Face ID.

Me: What if I want to unlock my phone and my face isn't in front of it?
Friends: When are you trying to use your phone without looking at it? That obviously never happens.

Turns out, it happens several times per day for me.

There are multiple times per day when I have my phone set on my desk, or on a restaurant table, or on my bed, and the phone is pointed up and I'm using it from an angle. So my face isn't directly in front of the phone, but the phone is still perfectly usable.

Touch ID worked fine in those scenarios (obviously) and Face ID doesn't (obviously).

So I have to lean over the phone like an idiot so the camera can see me and the phone unlocks. Alternatively, I could pick up the phone for a second and point it at my face, but now that the sides of the phone are squared off instead of rounded, the phone is fairly difficult to pick up. It's easier to lean over like an idiot.

Remind me, why is this better?

Yea, especially at checkouts I have this problem with Apple Pay too. I agree 100 percent, I want Touch ID back.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

touchId wasn't perfect, but faceID is much worse for me.

My iPhone spends most of the day laid on my desk. When I had touchID, I could just touch the phone to see what notifications I had. I have to pick up my current phone. touchId could be unreliable, but faceID struggles to recognise me far more often, especially if I am wearing a scarf or a hat in winter.

I recently upgraded to the latest iPad Pro. faceID is terrible on that. It often tells me I am out of range or at the wrong angle, and rarely works when I am laid in bed. Even worse, I am left handed and my right thumb sits naturally where the sensor is when holding it.

You can set your notifications to show even when locked, much like TouchID did.

 

[colodane]

I've had zero issues with the Face ID, and prefer it to touch. I have touch ID on my MacBook Pro, and it seldom works. I need to re-do the finger prints every couple weeks and, even then, it only works about half the time. I mostly just ending up typing in my password to avoid wasted time and aggravation.

 

[TgeekB]

I have no issue with Face ID or picking up my phone. Easy peasy and works every time.

 

[Parowdy]

I don’t have dirty or wet fingers, I don’t use my phone in the tub or while gardening, and when i'm cycling I use full face helmet with goggles so also Face ID is Useless.

Different strokes. Many people can not always bare a finger everytime they want their phone unlocked.

 

[osta.doc]

It’s unfortunate that Apple can’t just have TouchID in the power button, and FaceID also, so that people could choose what they want.

 

[oliverades]

There’s obviously going to be extremely minor downsides to either system. Like how you have to take your gloves off to use TouchID, or you have to slightly tilt your phone or bend over your table to use FaceID. You’re just used to one set of inconveniences and not another.

 

[uacd]

I have it disabled and just unlock phone by swiping up, akin to oldschool swipe-to-unlock. Face ID makes my eyes bleed, I have had headaches because of this stuff. It is probably untested tech because how can it give so much discomfort? And really it was painful to get the phone and unlock it in the night, I remember I couldn’t sleep after Face ID did few scans.

The tech itself is fun but ain’t for me. When it was high time to play with it there was COVID and I couldn’t even use that to pay because there were mask mandates in all shopping areas. And now I don’t really find the good use for it – at home I don’t have people who would just grab my phone and use, and I don’t store anything. Also phone is mostly with me all the time, so I don’t see purpose of additional security layer

 

[537635]

I have it disabled and just unlock phone by swiping up, akin to oldschool swipe-to-unlock. Face ID makes my eyes bleed, I have had headaches because of this stuff. It is probably untested tech because how can it give so much discomfort? And really it was painful to get the phone and unlock it in the night, I remember I couldn’t sleep after Face ID did few scans.

Wow. Just wow.


I look at news of measles outbreaks in the US and this stuff just confirms it for me.

 

[uacd]

Wow. Just wow.


I look at news of measles outbreaks in the US and this stuff just confirms it for me.

Moreover I had never really used a passcode in my life, it is no secret that my MacBook Air with requirement TouchID has “1111” passcode that I use ever since my first Mac. Because, who… who would really need my messed up desktop flooded with some old safari links and folders of unsorted photographs😂

 

[537635]

Moreover I had never really used a passcode in my life, it is no secret that my MacBook Air with requirement TouchID has “1111” passcode that I use ever since my first Mac. Because, who… who would really need my messed up desktop flooded with some old safari links and folders of unsorted photographs😂

Now you got me. Sarcasm well played. 👍

 

[WU27f1xcCs]

Recently upgraded from an SE to a 16e. All my friends with newer iPhones assured me that I would love Face ID.

Me: What if I want to unlock my phone and my face isn't in front of it?
Friends: When are you trying to use your phone without looking at it? That obviously never happens.

Turns out, it happens several times per day for me.

There are multiple times per day when I have my phone set on my desk, or on a restaurant table, or on my bed, and the phone is pointed up and I'm using it from an angle. So my face isn't directly in front of the phone, but the phone is still perfectly usable.

Touch ID worked fine in those scenarios (obviously) and Face ID doesn't (obviously).

So I have to lean over the phone like an idiot so the camera can see me and the phone unlocks. Alternatively, I could pick up the phone for a second and point it at my face, but now that the sides of the phone are squared off instead of rounded, the phone is fairly difficult to pick up. It's easier to lean over like an idiot.

Remind me, why is this better?

The truth is Touch ID is “better” in the sense it’s more reliable, but there is a small compromise in order to get rid of the button and shrink the devices. As a minimalist guy I’m happy to see it go, along with buttons, ports. I would love to see a buttonless portless iPad or iPhone.

 

[cigz]

I personally don't like Face ID either. I can feel the difference between Face ID in iPhone X and 15 Pro Max but it still fails for me quite a lot of time. With Touch ID I had to type passcode maybe twice a month, with Face ID it's several times a day.
Or when I want to unlock the phone, the Face ID animation just spins for a solid minute and it either unlocks or I have to turn off the screen and try again. This has been happening for me on iPhone X, 12 Pro, 13 Pro Max and even now on 15 Pro Max.

I just don't understand the algorithm they use for Face ID and how It declares whether it should lock itself or not. I can use my phone, lock it, go to the other room for 2 minutes, come back and I have to type the passcode. Like why?

Also some people say that Touch ID is unusable in winter when you use gloves, well good luck with unlocking an iPhone with Face ID under the sun.

I really wish Apple went back to Touch ID, so they could remove that huge "Dynamic Island" for a small punch hole. They don't even have to remove Dynamic Island feature, just make the pill smaller.

For me Touch ID was a loooot faster and more reliable but at the same time I've seen people that had problems with it.
Even using Apple Pay was faster with Touch ID. Just put your finger on the button and that's it but with Face ID you have to double press, it has to scan your face (if it doesn't lock by itself in pants/bag) and then you're able to pay. Obviously that doesn't make a huge difference but still... it was more "comfortable" to use.

 

[childu]

Writing from my SE 3rd gen, next to iPad mini 7th gen and ipad Air with touch id buttons! Enough said