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Fingerprint scanner: gimmick or god send?

I think it works fairly well. They did a great job of introducing this technology the first time around for them. It's spoiled for me knowing that Apple and NSA have collaborated to share information so obviously anyone who has scanned their fingerprint is now on record at the Maryland headquarters.

It's neither a gimmick or a godsend, but rather, an information collecting tool.
 
I7guy said:
I was going to say I don't care as part of my job I gave to be fingerprinted anyway.
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You're spreading false information too. Touch ID doesn't store an image of your actual fingerprints, only data points that can't be reversed engineered to reveal the actual prints. Additionally, these data points are stored locally on the iPhone, meaning they're not uploaded to a server and Apple doesn't have them.
 
It took me a few attempts to get a really good image of my finger, but now it unlocks first time every time. It's worth paying attention to the side scans too. I only need my pass ode when the phones been shut down now. As to whether it's a gimmick or a godsend, I think that since it's more secure than a pass code, that it is indeed a useful security add on.
 
JayLenochiniMac said:
You're spreading false information too. Touch ID doesn't store an image of your actual fingerprints, only data points that can't be reversed engineered to reveal the actual prints. Additionally, these data points are stored locally on the iPhone, meaning they're not uploaded to a server and Apple doesn't have them.
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No sir. I'm not spreading anything. All I said was I don't care. I don't care if apple is in bed with the NSA, and I don't care if apple isn't in bed with the NSA.

Either way, you personally do not know, so you can't say anybody is spreading anything.

I wasn't spreading any information, I'm saying I don't care.
 
I7guy said:
If your phone doesn't have a password then fp scanner not needed and you get what you deserve if phone is lost/stolen.
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I guess? I don't think anybody deserves to lose a their phone, but I see the poetic justice there. I hate that sentiment though; "Thats what you get!" Serious?

sjinsjca said:
First, anyone who doesn't use the lock on an iDevice is a darn fool. It encrypts the file system and keeps your digital information very safe.
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Thats interesting. I was unaware of any encrypting with a pass-lock. But still, it's a non-issue in my life. someone would have to snatch my phone from my hand, in a super-market or something. I'm not saying I don't support them, I'm just saying I have no need for them. As mentioned earlier, it would just be an inconvenience.
 
AlphaHumanus said:
I guess? I don't think anybody deserves to lose a their phone, but I see the poetic justice there. I hate that sentiment though; "Thats what you get!" Serious?



Thats interesting. I was unaware of any encrypting with a pass-lock. But still, it's a non-issue in my life. someone would have to snatch my phone from my hand, in a super-market or something. I'm not saying I don't support them, I'm just saying I have no need for them. As mentioned earlier, it would just be an inconvenience.
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I don't wish harm against anyone, however those "who tempt fate", get whatever the "gods of justice" meet out. I am not talking about bad things who befall good people. However, if you don't password protect your phone and your phone is lost/stolen and someone gets into your emails, facebook, bank account, etc., you have nobody to blame but yourself.
 
I traded my 5s for a Note 3 and the best feature I truly miss is Touch ID. But build quality and touch id was not enough to keep me in ios 7. Shame because I always believed that a larger screen would solve my problems with Apple. Exactly why I never bought an ipad.
 
I7guy said:
Either way, you personally do not know, so you can't say anybody is spreading anything.
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Well, nobody on this forum can claim to "personally" know, but we do know that Touch ID doesn't store actual fingerprint images and they're encrypted within the A7 chip rather than stored on Apple servers or backed up to iCloud.

I wasn't spreading any information, I'm saying I don't care.
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By saying you don't care because you've consented to fingerprinting you're giving the readers the impression that you think Apple/NSA might be storing them.
 
jcorbin said:
I never used security on my phones. Not on my droids or my previous iPhones. However, I started using the touch ID system the day I got my 5s and love it. The only thing that annoys me is I haven't gotten used to scanning my finger or putting in the code to access notifications directly from the lockscreen. But that is a minor annoyance. I did turn off touch ID for a short time because I was having a rapid fire text conversation and it was really annoying to have to scan my finger every time. I forgot to turn it back on and it was even more annoying when pressing the home button didn't unlock my phone.

So who else uses the fingerprint scanner?
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When you swipe over on a notification you will see the password enter thing but if you put your finger on the touch ID it will unlock it still. I would love to use a fingerprint scanner on my phone but I have a iPhone 4 :( but I love using it on my friends phone.
 
JayLenochiniMac said:
Well, nobody on this forum can claim to "personally" know, but we do know that Touch ID doesn't store actual fingerprint images and they're encrypted within the A7 chip rather than stored on Apple servers or backed up to iCloud.



By saying you don't care because you've consented to fingerprinting you're giving the readers the impression that you think Apple/NSA might be storing them.
Click to expand...

I didn't take it like that when I wrote it, sorry if came away with an incorrect interpretation of my thoughts...;)
 
Here is how I think of it.
I unlock my phone every 15-20 minutes or ~50 times per day.
Unlocking my phone with my password takes 4-5 seconds while TouchID takes 1-2.
In a year, that is 91,250 seconds vs 36,500 or 25 hours vs 10 hours, a differential of 15 hours.

Just multiply it out against you per hour ( or calculated per hour rate) to see what TouchID saves you pet year in very real dollars.
 
It's great.

Apple can now implement password requests when entering vital settings and turning of thw phoneand it won't cause hardly any intrusion as just needs a second.
 
Options are kind of extreme. I don't have a 5S but I can see it's usefulness. I'd like to see it implemented in other things.

Regardless it's not a game changer for me so I see no reason to upgrade to the 5S. Gonna hold out until the 6 regardless of what it offers, I'm still on a 4S and can upgrade for free (to me) to the 5S via my employer.
 
I think TouchID is amazing. I actually have a passcode on my device now because of TouchID.

I've heard it was a gimmick too, but I don't understand how. It actually works.
 
Definitely NOT a gimmick.

I had a passcode on my iPhone 5 and this is better and faster, IMO. It's my favorite feature on the iPhone 5S.
 
Love the Touch ID.

I used to hate using security codes on my iPhones before and sometimes just turned them off. Since I got Touch ID, I keep my iPhone secure. It's actually faster than sliding to unlock. Touch ID is one of the reasons that the 5S is the best "S" upgrade ever.
 
Absolutely love this feature. So much easier to buy ebooks/music/apps and such with touch iD. Also once you get use to it... Keying in your password to enter or even swiping to enter feels strangely less intuitive.
 
I have at least one instance every day where the fingerprint scanner doesn't accept, and I have to just enter the pin number instead. Is that common with you guys or ... ?
 
Peter Franks said:
I have at least one instance every day where the fingerprint scanner doesn't accept, and I have to just enter the pin number instead. Is that common with you guys or ... ?
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With my wife, yes. With me, no. Of course, her hands are generally more oily so it could be the reason.
 
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