iPhone X iPhone X (XS) users: Need feedback on lack of fingerprint reader

[rotobadger]

Not looking to start another “I miss the home button” thread. I am looking for opinions from those who’ve lived with the iPhone X (and now the XS).

One of the things that has kept me from upgrading is that I am a frequent “bedside phone reacher/user”. In other words, I’ve become accustomed to checking my emails and messages in the wee hours by using Touch ID, glancing at my phone to see if I need to read anything, then rolling over and back to sleep. This is something I’ve had to do over the years as I have many clients on the east coast and I’m in the west.

Can anyone who is/was a similar user tell me if you were able to successfully adjust to the X? Did anyone, who has similar habits to mine, find it to be a deal breaker?

Very interested in comments regarding using the X in this fashion, often in the dark.

Any comments regarding adjusting after moving to the X welcome.

 

[tonybarnaby]

Click the power button and you can see if you have any messages or missed calls

 

[rotobadger]

Click the power button and you can see if you have any messages or missed calls

Some of my email notifications don’t show on the lock screen. I have to unlock the phone and actually look at the mail icon to see if I have messages. For some reason, one of my mail servers only works this way.

 

[Vermifuge]

Click the power button and you can see if you have any messages or missed calls

you can also just press on the screen...
[doublepost=1538889151][/doublepost]

Not looking to start another “I miss the home button” thread. I am looking for opinions from those who’ve lived with the iPhone X (and now the XS).

One of the things that has kept me from upgrading is that I am a frequent “bedside phone reacher/user”. In other words, I’ve become accustomed to checking my emails and messages in the wee hours by using Touch ID, glancing at my phone to see if I need to read anything, then rolling over and back to sleep. This is something I’ve had to do over the years as I have many clients on the east coast and I’m in the west.

Can anyone who is/was a similar user tell me if you were able to successfully adjust to the X? Did anyone, who has similar habits to mine, find it to be a deal breaker?

Very interested in comments regarding using the X in this fashion, often in the dark.

Any comments regarding adjusting after moving to the X welcome.

Been using my X (now Xs Max) for a year and i have adapted. You will take a security hit... but disabling attention Aware makes unlocking a lot less cumbersome.

 

[Aftermath747]

Not looking to start another “I miss the home button” thread. I am looking for opinions from those who’ve lived with the iPhone X (and now the XS).

One of the things that has kept me from upgrading is that I am a frequent “bedside phone reacher/user”. In other words, I’ve become accustomed to checking my emails and messages in the wee hours by using Touch ID, glancing at my phone to see if I need to read anything, then rolling over and back to sleep. This is something I’ve had to do over the years as I have many clients on the east coast and I’m in the west.

Can anyone who is/was a similar user tell me if you were able to successfully adjust to the X? Did anyone, who has similar habits to mine, find it to be a deal breaker?

Very interested in comments regarding using the X in this fashion, often in the dark.

Any comments regarding adjusting after moving to the X welcome.

There’s an adjustment period. It’s honestly pretty hard to remember, having had a X since launch and now a XS Max. I’ll say this, if your turning over and glancing already involved picking up the phone and looking at it, then Face ID is unlikely to negatively affect you. It works perfectly in pitch black if that’s what you’re worried about. You also don’t have to sit up or do any strange maneuvers. It really does “just work.” I often grab my phone off the wireless charger and unlock it while still fully reclined. The biggest adjustment I ever have to make is pulling my pillow back slightly so it doesn’t obscure my face.

 

[rotobadger]

There’s an adjustment period. It’s honestly pretty hard to remember, having had a X since launch and now a XS Max. I’ll say this, if your turning over and glancing already involved picking up the phone and looking at it, then Face ID is unlikely to negatively affect you. It works perfectly in pitch black if that’s what you’re worried about. You also don’t have to sit up or do any strange maneuvers. It really does “just work.” I often grab my phone off the wireless charger and unlock it while still fully reclined. The biggest adjustment I ever have to make is pulling my pillow back slightly so it doesn’t obscure my face.

Just the feedback I’m looking for. Glad to hear it works in total darkness. I know I’d have to learn and adjust, I’m just hoping that that adjustment will be enough to, eventually, get over the fingerprint reader loss.

I’ve also considered turning it off completely on occasion.

 

[Aftermath747]

Just the feedback I’m looking for. Glad to hear it works in total darkness. I know I’d have to learn and adjust, I’m just hoping that that adjustment will be enough to, eventually, get over the fingerprint reader loss.

I’ve also considered turning it off completely on occasion.

Glad it helped! If you’re willing to make small adjustments, you’ll be totally fine. I no longer miss Touch ID at all, and I almost didn’t buy the X because I was so afraid to lose it.

 

[nixx]

I’m a bedside phone reacher too and I am notorious for checking email and notifications like this. When I moved to my XS Max, I found that I have to literally pick it up and stick it in front of my face and often have to move my duvet away just to authenticate. It’s a slight annoyance but not a deal breaker. The other real advantages of Face ID make up for the annoyance.

 

[Five_Oh]

One more idea for you:

I got a pedestal type wireless charger for my nightstand. My phone sits on it. If I want to see notifications, I just touch the screen. If I want to unlock it, I usually just lift my head a bit. I don't usually even have to manipulate the phone other than "waking" it by touching the screen.

 

[akash.nu]

I’m a bedside phone reacher too and I am notorious for checking email and notifications like this. When I moved to my XS Max, I found that I have to literally pick it up and stick it in front of my face and often have to move my duvet away just to authenticate. It’s a slight annoyance but not a deal breaker. The other real advantages of Face ID make up for the annoyance.

this has been my experience as well, and when it fails in the middle of the night it really becomes irritating.

 

[Herro177]

99% of the time, the iPhone xs does not recognize my face at night. Not sure why it advertises being the most advanced when most of the time when I'm using the phone pitch black at night, I have to unlock it with a passcode. That is probably the only time I miss the touch ID. When wanting to unlock the phone on-the-fly without having to wait for a short delay.

 

[Barrett85]

I miss the home button. Face ID only works about 50% of the time.

 

[Jordan921]

Yes you should definitely be fine. FaceID works extremely well for me in the dark.

 

[Applefan4]

It was weird at first but Face ID is really good and works well on my XS Max

 

[ZEEN0j]

There’s an adjustment period. It’s honestly pretty hard to remember, having had a X since launch and now a XS Max. I’ll say this, if your turning over and glancing already involved picking up the phone and looking at it, then Face ID is unlikely to negatively affect you. It works perfectly in pitch black if that’s what you’re worried about. You also don’t have to sit up or do any strange maneuvers. It really does “just work.” I often grab my phone off the wireless charger and unlock it while still fully reclined. The biggest adjustment I ever have to make is pulling my pillow back slightly so it doesn’t obscure my face.

Agreed. And to add to the pillow rearranging. I can lay on my stomach chin down on pillow and mouth covered and it still unlocks. Xs is my first Face ID device and it works so much better than I thought.

 

[Ntombi]

99% of the time, the iPhone xs does not recognize my face at night. Not sure why it advertises being the most advanced when most of the time when I'm using the phone pitch black at night, I have to unlock it with a passcode. That is probably the only time I miss the touch ID. When wanting to unlock the phone on-the-fly without having to wait for a short delay.

It advertises it because for almost all of us, it works perfectly. I use it in pitch black almost every night without issue. I don’t even move my face anymore (I did at first, but as the phone gets better at recognizing you, you need to move less, IME).

To the OP: I’ve had the X and now the XS, and I’ve had very few times when I’ve had to adjust to the phone, rather than the other way around. When my face is half-smushed into a pillow, it still recognizes me now, though it wouldn’t have in the first few weeks. That neural learning chip is real, it does get better and better. It needs no light, and you don’t have to be exactly at the right angle. The only time it never works is when it’s flat on a table and I am looking down at it. I’ve learned to just pick it up from horizontal.

 

[kasakka]

Use "tap to wake" and set notifications to show previews always. This way you can just tap your phone screen to show the display, read the notifications and pick it up and unlock it if needed.

 

[Newtons Apple]

Just the feedback I’m looking for. Glad to hear it works in total darkness. I know I’d have to learn and adjust, I’m just hoping that that adjustment will be enough to, eventually, get over the fingerprint reader loss.

I’ve also considered turning it off completely on occasion.

I bet after you get accustomed to it, you will not be turning it off on occasion. It works so well that you forget what it is doing. Humans adapt, you will too.

 

[jagolden]

Moved from 6s Plus to Xs Max. No big deal at all. I use earphones /headphones while sleeping. Every so often I wake up and change the playlist.

Tap screen to wake, FaceID won’t read my face with a CPAP on, so just swipe up and type in your unlock code.
No need to give up the security of Attention Aware.

 

[AppleB]

I’m coming from a 7 Plus. Thought I would miss Touch ID but I don’t.
Face ID works very well for me even in the dark.
Just from habit I still tap where the home button would be every now and then.

 

[rotobadger]

Humans adapt, you will too.

So, you’re saying I’m not human??

 

[Cayden]

I went from the 8+ to the Max and I really thought I’d miss TouchID, but I was wrong. With the Max, I don’t even realize FaceID is happening, I just pick up the phone and use it. I’m a frequent bedside phone user as well, and I was worried FaceID wouldn’t work when laying on my side or went bent in strange ways, but this hasn’t been the case at all. Works wonderfully in the dark, and really “just works”

 

[craigio85]

Not looking to start another “I miss the home button” thread. I am looking for opinions from those who’ve lived with the iPhone X (and now the XS).

One of the things that has kept me from upgrading is that I am a frequent “bedside phone reacher/user”. In other words, I’ve become accustomed to checking my emails and messages in the wee hours by using Touch ID, glancing at my phone to see if I need to read anything, then rolling over and back to sleep. This is something I’ve had to do over the years as I have many clients on the east coast and I’m in the west.

Can anyone who is/was a similar user tell me if you were able to successfully adjust to the X? Did anyone, who has similar habits to mine, find it to be a deal breaker?

Very interested in comments regarding using the X in this fashion, often in the dark.

Any comments regarding adjusting after moving to the X welcome.

I was a skeptic, but I was sold within an hour of buying my XS.

FaceID is so inconspicuous that you barely realise it exists. There’s only two scenarios where I’ve noticed it.

1) If I wake the screen and swipe up too fast, there’s a reminder that FaceID is still doing its stuff which appears on the screen for a heartbeat before the home screen appears. This happens very infrequently. It’s nearly always fast enough that the wake, unlock action is seamless.

2) if somebody picks my phone up to look at it and it registers their face, FaceID will fail when they pass the phone back to me if the screen has remained awake. This means whenever you get somebody actively inspecting FaceID it awkwardly doesn’t work as it usually would and makes itself look bad.

Some users have reported that FaceID is prone to failing when they’ve just woken up. I’m fortunate in that I don’t experience this - but that’s probably because I take sleep very seriously and always wake up naturally, not with an alarm - so my eyes aren’t struggling to stay open.

I wouldn’t go back to touchID if you paid me.

 

[rotobadger]

I was a skeptic, but I was sold within an hour of buying my XS.

FaceID is so inconspicuous that you barely realise it exists. There’s only two scenarios where I’ve noticed it.

1) If I wake the screen and swipe up too fast, there’s a reminder that FaceID is still doing its stuff which appears on the screen for a heartbeat before the home screen appears. This happens very infrequently. It’s nearly always fast enough that the wake, unlock action is seamless.

2) if somebody picks my phone up to look at it and it registers their face, FaceID will fail when they pass the phone back to me if the screen has remained awake. This means whenever you get somebody actively inspecting FaceID it awkwardly doesn’t work as it usually would and makes itself look bad.

Some users have reported that FaceID is prone to failing when they’ve just woken up. I’m fortunate in that I don’t experience this - but that’s probably because I take sleep very seriously and always wake up naturally, not with an alarm - so my eyes aren’t struggling to stay open.

I wouldn’t go back to touchID if you paid me.

Really encouraging feedback. Thanks for this insight.

I have to travel for business for two weeks. I’m hoping Apple gets the connectivity and charging issues sorted on the XS by the time I get back home. If so, I’ll probably take the leap. If not, maybe I’ll pick up the 10.

One thing that impressed me the most was the camera. “Wow” pictures. Somethings I’m normally not interested in but really amazed by the XS.

 

[adamgbiggs]

Coming from an i7 to the Xs I don’t miss the Touch ID at all, I did for about 3 hours, but after I got used to not having a home button I now love the new Xs, the only time Face ID has failed is if I have some of my face covered with my duvet, I simply just have to move a little, this has only happened twice, Face ID really just disappears into the background and you forget about it even being there, it works very well, I really don’t think you should worry about the lack of a home button, you will most likely adjust quickly and at the end of the first day of owning an Xs you’ll have got the hang of using the Face ID and screen gestures.

Adam.