iPhone X: Using Apple Pay With Face ID

[Makosuke]

I use Apple Pay at nearly every store I shop at regularly, and was skeptical that Face ID was going to be as smooth as the fingerprint sensor.

In practice, though, I think I actually prefer it--since the double-button-click to trigger pre-authentication is quick and definite, and you've then got 60 seconds to actually get to the reader, it feels more definite that I'm ready to pay when my turn is coming up (and easier to test if an unmarked reader supports Apple Pay--pre authenticate, wave the phone near it, if it doesn't beep instantly no go). I'm sure there was a way to pre-authenticate with a fingerprint before, but the process never seemed obvious to me, and I didn't like the hiccup on the occasions (admittedly much rarer after the post-6 Touch ID improvements) that it didn't read my fingerprint on the first try.

If nothing else, Face ID definitely works better than the first-generation iPhone 6 Touch ID did--my wife wouldn't even use her 6 to pay, since Touch ID would only register her fingerprint maybe one out of every three tries, no matter what she did. In my experience if I take the time to actually point the phone at my face directly Face ID never fails. It's still maybe 70-80% accurate from off angles.

 

[mdelvecchio]

Pulling the phone out of my pocket, double clicking a button, holding it up to my face, then back down to the reader seems a lot more inconvenient that pulling the phone out of my pocket with my thumb already on the Home button for TouchID and moving it straight to the reader. This has worked flawlessly for me since my first TouchID enabled iPhone. I suppose we all have to get used to it after this year, though. Unless of course Apple pays attention and quits with this trying to force us into gimmicky tech that is not as convenient to use. But why should we expect Apple to change now, they've been doing this for decades.

bogus FUD - you don’t have to hold it to your face. i have it, use it, and it’s just sitting atop the POS terminal as usual.
[doublepost=1511220716][/doublepost]

I don’t find myself using Apple Pay anymore with my iPhone X, it just seems less convenient, also Face ID fails more often than Touch ID.

so you’re not using AP anymore because it’s a double tap? yeah right. i have it and it’s basically no different in real use.

 

[Makosuke]

Same here. I have never asked to use ApplePay specifically. I just ask to use the "Contactless"… never fails.

It might work differently in other countries, but in the US I've never even bothered to ask. I just hold my phone over the credit card thingy to see if it scans. Nine times out of ten these days "beep" and it's registered the credit card--sometimes even when there's no NFC logo, and several times when the clerk didn't know that they had NFC enabled.

Actually, it seems like very few readers in the US have any indication that they support NFC; for the first couple years there was none at all, and even now at best there's usually just the green dot logo on the screen that you only recognize if you've seen it before.

 

[WhiteHawk]

I’m probably being a little picky, but doesn’t this sound like you’re making an excuse for Apple?

They are not, I used Apple Pay 8 times over the first two days I had the X, if anything it was a nicer experience than with Touch ID and just as fast. If anything I disagree with their comment in the article that will take a few payments to get used too when it was nice and simple straight away.
[doublepost=1511221954][/doublepost]

bogus FUD - you don’t have to hold it to your face. i have it, use it, and it’s just sitting atop the POS terminal as usual.
[doublepost=1511220716][/doublepost]
so you’re not using AP anymore because it’s a double tap? yeah right. i have it and it’s basically no different in real use.

A large majority of terminals are not in a position that the phone will see your face while holding the phone to it, but I’ve had no issue preauthorising it just before the cashier starts the process and then leaving the phone on the terminal, if anything I found it better especially as the confirmation beep happens faster than it did on my 6s.

 

[User 6502]

FaceID @ checkout > TouchID

Rather than doing the authentication right at the same moment as purchase, you can pre-authenticate and once the reader is ready the purchase happens through your phone. With TouchID, if it didnt work for any reason this just took longer and held up lines.

You can pre-authenticate with touchID as well. FaceID is clearly inferior in this scenario.

 

[iTundra]

For me this is the worst part of iPhone X. I've done about 25 payments with it, expecting that it'd eventually become as easy and natural as my thumb w/ TouchID. Nope. I find it much less convenient and slower than my old iPhone. Maybe after 200 payments I'll figure it out.

 

[mantan]

I was one of the people who thought it would be a lot clunkier. After all, how easy was it to take the phone from your pocket to the terminal. And how awkward would it be to have to look at your phone first.

I completely underestimated how fast Face ID works. And how much easier it is to just hold your phone near a terminal in any fashion...rather than balancing your phone on the Touch ID icon until it registers.

Apple Pay with Face ID>>> than with Touch ID.

 

[spokenblurb]

They are not, I used Apple Pay 8 times over the first two days I had the X, if anything it was a nicer experience than with Touch ID and just as fast. If anything I disagree with their comment in the article that will take a few payments to get used too when it was nice and simple straight away.
[doublepost=1511221954][/doublepost]

A large majority of terminals are not in a position that the phone will see your face while holding the phone to it, but I’ve had no issue preauthorising it just before the cashier starts the process and then leaving the phone on the terminal, if anything I found it better especially as the confirmation beep happens faster than it did on my 6s.

 

[Tech198]

It's different, i'll give ya that. Is there a range on FaceID ? Unless the terminal is closer allot more people will be bowing to authenticate.

 

[Kaibelf]

Pulling the phone out of my pocket, double clicking a button, holding it up to my face, then back down to the reader seems a lot more inconvenient that pulling the phone out of my pocket with my thumb already on the Home button for TouchID and moving it straight to the reader. This has worked flawlessly for me since my first TouchID enabled iPhone. I suppose we all have to get used to it after this year, though. Unless of course Apple pays attention and quits with this trying to force us into gimmicky tech that is not as convenient to use. But why should we expect Apple to change now, they've been doing this for decades.

Anyone who has an iPhone X knows you do NOT have to “hold the phone up to your face” to unlock or authenticate. Apple has provided videos explicitly saying this and multiple articles on this and other sites have also featured this information. No single person speaks for us all, but I hope that people at least stop exaggerating about what it’s like to use Face ID when they haven’t personally tried it. It does nothing but spread misinformation.

 

[Resqu2]

Not used Apple Pay on any iPhone since I got my watch, just quick and easy on it.

 

[Kaibelf]

It's different, i'll give ya that. Is there a range on FaceID ? Unless the terminal is closer allot more people will be bowing to authenticate.

You authenticate and then hold the phone to the terminal. You don’t bow down to it as the phone can be over a foot and a half from your face just for the authentication and then you have additional time to wave it to the terminal itself.

 

[AshGuy]

I use Apple Pay all the time and have to say that its way better with the Face ID workflow.

Frequent failures on my old 6s plus with touch id would lead to this big awkward loop of pulling the phone away, waiting for it to re-prompt, and then trying again. Often if I failed once I'd probably have to do this loop 2 or 3 times.

I've not had one failure since I've been using my face over Touch ID so cant compare whether or not this loop would be worse with Face ID.

...Also I probably should just use my watch but I've not figured out how to do it in the year and a half since I've had the thing ><'.

 

[SashJ]

I think the pre-authenticate works well, but in general I find the process a little less smooth. Before, all I had to do was hold my phone my phone to the card reader with my thumb already on touch ID and it was instant. Now I have to double click, then wait for face ID to authenticate (Which is not always instant) and then tap. Just a few more things to do.

You have to double click for both processes, one the side button and one the home button. So really its not any different. Also if your face isn't scanning fast enough disable the need for eye contact. My face is usually scanned a split second before I even have it in front of my face. Sure its to as secure, but I doubt anyone will actually ever try to grab my phone and then little scan my face in front of me. They would be more worried about running away.
[doublepost=1511227389][/doublepost]

You authenticate and then hold the phone to the terminal. You don’t bow down to it as the phone can be over a foot and a half from your face just for the authentication and then you have additional time to wave it to the terminal itself.

Where the heck are you getting the bowing down from? Unless your a complete idiot, you should just need to glance at your phone.

 

[spokenblurb]

Anyone who has an iPhone X knows you do NOT have to “hold the phone up to your face” to unlock or authenticate. Apple has provided videos explicitly saying this and multiple articles on this and other sites have also featured this information. No single person speaks for us all, but I hope that people at least stop exaggerating about what it’s like to use Face ID when they haven’t personally tried it. It does nothing but spread misinformation.

I totally agree, Face ID has been so much smoother when making payments 1. Hold phone near terminal angled at face (side bar what terminals have people been using where the phone can’t be comfortably pointed at your face,from vending machines to supermarkets it’s all been super convenient for me)
2.double press and and in what is literally 1- 1.5 seconds my purchase is made .

I don’t double click to activate Apple Pay because for me (for me being key) that’s a unnecessary step the terminal activates Apple Pay soon as I hold my phone to it then I double click while looking at my phone which is very natural, even when i used Touch ID I looked at my phone most people do.

 

[SashJ]

I totally agree, Face ID has been so much smoother when making payments 1. Hold phone near terminal angled at face (side bar what terminals have people been using where the phone can’t be comfortably pointed at your face,from vending machines to supermarkets it’s all been super convenient for me)
2.double press and and in what is literally 1- 1.5 seconds my purchase is made .

I don’t double click to activate Apple Pay because for me (for me being key) that’s a unnecessary step the terminal activates Apple Pay soon as I hold my phone to it then I double click while looking at my phone which is very natural, even when i used Touch ID I looked at my phone most people do.

You dont need to aim the phone at yourself while tapping the terminal. You can pre-authenticate while in line and then just tap and go when your at the terminal, much easier that way.
[doublepost=1511228002][/doublepost]I've been using face ID for about 2 weeks now, and I can tell you right now, Face ID is superior in all aspects. The only time I found Face ID to be annoying and slower than touch ID, is when I am lying down in bed and I want to unlock my phone while half my face is in a pillow or covered by my blankets.

 

[ackmondual]

The age old question of Touch ID or Face ID? To that I reply....

 

[Kramerjn]

I don’t find myself using Apple Pay anymore with my iPhone X, it just seems less convenient, also Face ID fails more often than Touch ID.

I’ve had the opposite experience. Touch ID failed far more often for me than Face ID has.
[doublepost=1511229167][/doublepost]

You dont need to aim the phone at yourself while tapping the terminal. You can pre-authenticate while in line and then just tap and go when your at the terminal, much easier that way.
[doublepost=1511228002][/doublepost]I've been using face ID for about 2 weeks now, and I can tell you right now, Face ID is superior in all aspects. The only time I found Face ID to be annoying and slower than touch ID, is when I am lying down in bed and I want to unlock my phone while half my face is in a pillow or covered by my blankets.

For me the only time it’s annoying is when I don’t have my contacts in and need to be a few inches from the phone to read it. I always need to hold it away from my face, where I can’t see what’s on the screen, in order to unlock it.

 

[WhiteHawk]

I totally agree, Face ID has been so much smoother when making payments 1. Hold phone near terminal angled at face (side bar what terminals have people been using where the phone can’t be comfortably pointed at your face,from vending machines to supermarkets it’s all been super convenient for me)
2.double press and and in what is literally 1- 1.5 seconds my purchase is made .

I don’t double click to activate Apple Pay because for me (for me being key) that’s a unnecessary step the terminal activates Apple Pay soon as I hold my phone to it then I double click while looking at my phone which is very natural, even when i used Touch ID I looked at my phone most people do.

If you want a quicker experience and one which is less likely to fail just double tap button while looking at your phone which is going to be in your hand anyway to make the payment while the person is still setting up the till and then put it to the terminal, no need to have to angle your phone then and no need to wait that extra second for it to work out it’s your face. And again I have to say this, not every terminal will be in a position in stores, restaurants especially that it’s even possible to get an angle to your face and have the phone be close enough to the terminal to work.

Honestly, try it that way as an experiment and see how you feel, for me it was better.

 

[pierce1979]

Anyone who has the iPhone X knows Apple made ApplePay less convenient with Face ID. I find it more annoying than the notch.

 

[WhiteHawk]

Anyone who has the iPhone X knows Apple made ApplePay less convenient with Face ID. I find it more annoying than the notch.

Wrong, opposite experience.

 

[BruiserB]

https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT203027

Apple doesn’t store or have access to the credit, debit, or prepaid card numbers you added to Apple Pay. Apple Pay only stores a portion of your actual card numbers and a portion of your Device Account Numbers, along with a card description, to help you manage your cards and add your cards across your devices.

To me "a portion" would be the last 4 digits of the account number that show on the image of the card so you know which card it is. Seems more like it is storing the entire card number except for the CVV code. How else would it have enough information to contact the card issuer and get the new token account number assigned?

 

[AFDoc]

Love the statements it's easier with touch ID..... how hard is any of it? Oh taking your phone out, looking at it, tapping.... it's takes so much longer.... Are you freaking kidding? WTF is wrong with people?

 

[griz]

For people complaining about failures, doesn't it learn over time? Touch ID worked for me about 50% of the time when I first got it. Now years later I'd say it's 99% reliable. Unless my hands are dirty or I just got out of water. But even then I find that it learns and is better than before.

 

[ipedro]

"Takes an extra step of bringing the phone close to your face"... Uh, you don't have to bring the phone close to your face. Just look at the phone like you would when you unlock. There's no special effort. If you can see your phone's screen, then it can see you and you're authenticated.

If you only have one card, then yes, Touch ID is easier because you just tap with your finger on the sensor and it'll automatically bring up that one card and run it through. But if you have multiple cards, you're going to have to pick which one you want to use.

With Touch ID, you'd have to activate ApplePay, either manually by opening the Wallet or automatically by tapping the phone to the payment terminal at which point, you select your card, then touch Touch ID to authenticate.

With Face ID, you have the quick access of the double clicking side button, pick the card and it'll authenticate you since you're looking at the screen, then just tap.