iPhone 12 I don't want to go back to fingerprint scanners again...

[Jayson A]

FaceID is so much better than TouchID.

Maybe it's because I've always had TouchID and only recently bought an iPhone 12 mini, but FaceID kicks TouchID's butt.

I love just looking at my phone to unlock it. It's like magic. With touch ID, I would have to place my finger on a certain area of the screen where as with FaceID, I just need to LOOK at the screen and it's ready to go.

In fact, FaceID is so fast for me, I just pick up my phone and swipe up without even thinking about it. That seems way more convenient than picking up my phone, placing my thumb in a certain spot and waiting for it to unlock, then swiping up. Even if it's VERY FAST, you can't simply raise the phone and swipe up immediately as you would have to be still for a second or so, then swipe up.

If Apple is planning on going back to TouchID, I'm going to be very sad. FaceID is high-tech futuristic stuff and I've only had it fail a few times since I got my iPhone 12 mini. Meanwhile, when I had TouchID, it would fail if my hands were too sweaty or wet, or if there was too many fingerprints on the button and I had to constantly keep it clean and even then, it would fail to recognize my finger sometimes.

Everytime I pick up my iPhone 12 mini, I feel like I'm living in the future. It amazes me every single time still. Especially how the notifications just pop open when my eyes lock onto the phone. It's the one thing Apple has that ACTUALLY feels like magic.

If they DO end up putting a fingerprint scanner back into the iPhone, I hope they keep FaceID as an option and the fingerprint scanner as a secondary option. Another fingerprint scanner would be going backwards in my opinion.

 

[Saladin12]

I'd imagine if TouchID does make a return to future iPhones it will be in addition to FaceID

 

[Airforcekid]

What I hate about faceID is the inability to use my peripheral vision to check notifications. TouchID is nice when you want to pick up your phone and read a text without taking your focus away from a conversation etc.

 

[mclld]

I recently got my first iPhone and it has Touch ID, I really like it and it works surprisingly well. I think I still like fp scanner but I am fine with face unlock and I’m sure it can get even better in the future

 

[Madhatter32]

I like Touch ID. I can turn on my phone without looking at it.

 

[Jayson A]

What I hate about faceID is the inability to use my peripheral vision to check notifications. TouchID is nice when you want to pick up your phone and read a text without taking your focus away from a conversation etc.

How do you read messages with your peripheral vision? I find it impossible to read anything without looking directly at it.

I like Touch ID. I can turn on my phone without looking at it.

What’s the point of that? How is it useful to go to the Home Screen if you’re not looking at your phone?

 

[Madhatter32]

What’s the point of that? How is it useful to go to the Home Screen if you’re not looking at your phone?

I do often -- mostly at work. I can operate the phone when it's off to the side. I can see the screen but my face is not in front of it. That way I do not have to actually pick up the phone to use it. I also use my phone at night in very dark conditions. Touch ID never fails in those conditions. This is just my experience. I like the Touch ID. I am glad you are happy using with the Face ID. If given the choice, I would prefer Touch ID but it is not a deal breaker either way.

 

[Jayson A]

I do often -- mostly at work. I can operate the phone when it's off to the side. I can see the screen but my face is not in front of it. That way I do not have to actually pick up the phone to use it. I also use my phone at night in very dark conditions. Touch ID never fails in those conditions. This is just my experience. I like the Touch ID. I am glad you are happy using with the Face ID. If given the choice, I would prefer Touch ID but it is not a deal breaker either way.

I see now.

In regards to dark rooms, I've never had FaceID fail in the dark. Doesn't it use infrared? It shouldn't matter how dark it is (and I use auto brightness). Maybe FaceID is better on the iPhone 12 than the previous phones, I have no idea. This is my first time having FaceID and it works great for me 99.9% of the time. I would say it works more often than TouchID did.

Sometimes it sucks that I have to move my head or tilt my phone up slightly to unlock it, but it's not that much of a pain. Usually when I want to use my phone, I'm holding it or picking it up anyway. I don't find it that comfortable using my phone at an extreme angle like on a table.

To each their own though. I just hope they don't abandon it because it really is some pretty amazing tech and it seems like they poured a lot of R&D into it to just drop it.

 

[eyoungren]

That seems way more convenient than picking up my phone, placing my thumb in a certain spot and waiting for it to unlock, then swiping up. Even if it's VERY FAST, you can't simply raise the phone and swipe up immediately as you would have to be still for a second or so, then swipe up.

Touch the fingerprint sensor, THEN swipe up?!

Is this something new?

All my devices that use TouchID simply require my fingerprint. I've never needed to swipe up to finish unlocking. To me, having to swipe up after unlocking the phone with your fingerprint defeats the purpose of Touch ID.

I prefer FaceID to Touch ID, but neither my 6s+ or my iPad (6th gen) seem to require me to swipe up. Both just unlock whenever my fingerprint is detected.

 

[Mr. Awesome]

I also use my phone at night in very dark conditions. Touch ID never fails in those conditions.

Nor has Face ID failed me. It uses an IR camera, a dot projector, and a flood illuminator to work in the dark equally as well as in light.

 

[turbineseaplane]

I love TouchID

 

[Jayson A]

Touch the fingerprint sensor, THEN swipe up?!

Is this something new?

All my devices that use TouchID simply require my fingerprint. I've never needed to swipe up. To me, having to swipe up after unlocking the phone with your fingerprint defeats the purpose of Touch ID.

I prefer FaceID to Touch ID, but neither my 6s+ or my iPad (6th gen) seem to require me to swipe up. Both just unlock whenever my fingerprint is detected.

Well, the home button isn't coming back, so it only makes sense that you would scan your finger, then swipe up to unlock the phone in the future.

Unless you're thinking you'll just place your finger on the scanner and it will automatically go home, but then how would you read your messages? At least the way it works now is that messages are hidden until your phone us unlocked, then you can read the messages, and then, if you want to actually go to the home screen, you just swipe up, if not, your screen goes back to sleep. Also, with FaceID, your phone won't go to sleep if you're looking at it.... that's pretty darn cool.

 

[rui no onna]

Touch the fingerprint sensor, THEN swipe up?!

Is this something new?

All my devices that use TouchID simply require my fingerprint. I've never needed to swipe up to finish unlocking. To me, having to swipe up after unlocking the phone with your fingerprint defeats the purpose of Touch ID.

I prefer FaceID to Touch ID, but neither my 6s+ or my iPad (6th gen) seem to require me to swipe up. Both just unlock whenever my fingerprint is detected.

You probably have the Accessibility option Rest Finger to Open enabled. I do the same. Put my finger on the TouchID button as I'm taking it out of my pocket and it's already on the Home screen by the time the phone is in front of me.

I have most notifications disabled and I just go to the Messages app. I hate that there's an extra swipe required on FaceID devices. I wish Apple would an option to skip the swipe to go to Home.

 

[MisterSavage]

If it's in addition to to Face ID and it doesn't jack up the price then I don't mind. If it's an "either or" situation then I would pick Face ID 100% of the time. It was pretty frequent for me to have issues with Touch ID. I actually forget Face ID is there a lot of times it works so well.

 

[eyoungren]

Well, the home button isn't coming back, so it only makes sense that you would scan your finger, then swipe up to unlock the phone in the future.

Unless you're thinking you'll just place your finger on the scanner and it will automatically go home, but then how would you read your messages? At least the way it works now is that messages are hidden until your phone us unlocked, then you can read the messages, and then, if you want to actually go to the home screen, you just swipe up, if not, your screen goes back to sleep. Also, with FaceID, your phone won't go to sleep if you're looking at it.... that's pretty darn cool.

IDK. It just doesn't sound like an Apple solution to me where you place your finger on the sensor and then have to swipe up. I don't believe the home button will come back either but maybe they might have a better solution.

However, your premise is based on a privacy switch. In Settings, under Notifications if set to Always instead of Unlocked then this is a non-issue. Just press the power button (or look at the screen if it's on) to see notifications. Of course that's a privacy issue.

Perhaps Apple might do something like the old Swipe to Unlock - only your fingerprint is on the sensor when you swipe. So, once to unlock and view your notifications, then swipe to 'go home'. If you don't intend to go home, just take your finger off the sensor. It just doesn't make a lot of sense to me to 'unlock' then have to take your finger of the screen to make a swipe to go home.

But I do see your point.

 

[eyoungren]

You probably have the Accessibility option Rest Finger to Open enabled. I do the same. Put my finger on the TouchID button as I'm taking it out of my pocket and it's already on the Home screen by the time the phone is in front of me.

I have most notifications disabled and I just go to the Messages app. I hate that there's an extra swipe required on FaceID devices. I wish Apple would an option to skip the swipe to go to Home.

Yep, I do have that enabled. It's convenience of course, but my main reason is to use the mechanical function of the home button as little as possible.

 

[G46&Fbnth5]

Face ID on iPhone is fine, while on iPad is a nightmare

 

[Jayson A]

Yep, I do have that enabled. It's convenience of course, but my main reason is to use the mechanical function of the home button as little as possible.

Imagine not having a home button and never having to press down on the screen again. It's actually kinda awesome to do everything with light taps and swipes instead of hard presses. It's not like it's a pain to click a button, but you probably end up clicking that one button hundreds of times per day and it's just nice to not have to.

 

[tegranjeet]

My experience has been the opposite. I remember getting the iPhone 5s with the TouchID scanner as the first biometric unlock. That was one of my most memorable experiences with iPhone. Once I got an iPhone XS Max with FaceID I was very underwhelmed. Your face has to be in a specific spot. You have to swipe up to go home. If anything is blocking your face it doesn’t work. With TouchID I could whip it out of my pocket and it would already be unlocked, no delay or interaction. With TouchID you can unlock the device in any position, upside down, sideways, etc. Our hands are just so much more free than our heads and faces.

 

[apparatchik]

I’ll throw a better one: the Apple Watch, it beats Face and Touch ID, you can unlock your Mac and your phone by only having it on, I’ve noticed it unlocks the phone (don’t know if by mistake) when not even facing it or having a face mask, which is great.

Everything should unlock by having it in close proximity (walking towards your house door, your car, etc.) by just having your watch on.

 

[ignatius345]

Slightly off topic, but my FaceID just very recently started recognizing me with a mask on. I'd set up an "alternate appearance" with a mask on months ago but it almost seems like it just kicked in now. Weird.

 

[collin_]

FaceID is also more secure. This claim was made by Apple and then verified by security researchers. Just takes a lot more effort to forge a face than a fingerprint. If they add under the screen TouchID, I will be disabling it and only using FaceID.

Random advice for anyone with an unusually high threat model — use a strong passphrase for your iPhone and shut it down the second you’re in danger. Obviously don’t enable any sort of iCloud recovery method.

 

[EPO75]

I'd imagine if TouchID does make a return to future iPhones it will be in addition to FaceID

Find that hard to believe is that would be more expensive to make which Apple usually never does.
FaceID is perfect, hope they keep it.

 

[StaceyMJ86]

I love FaceID and could never go back to TouchID. I don’t have issues with putting my passcode in when I’m out and about wearing a mask. My jailbroken iPhone on 14.1, can be unlocked with my Apple Watch using a tweak.

 

[4578992]

The only problem I see with FaceID is that it only works with the phone oriented in portrait mode. Apart from that it works perfectly for me with only a handful of missed attempts. TouchID in my experience objected as soon as I tried to use it after having worked with my hands. Gardening, building something, wet hands etc.

If they bring it back, I hope it doesn't take up any internal space.