Did you say whether you had tried different fingers? It will let you scan multiple fingers. Perhaps one of them is more distinct or consistant than the others?
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Love my MBA ... hate TouchID
- Thread starter agregson
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Yea, I did try but no luck. And I e given up on the MBA because Apple Watch works much better anyways… and as an aside, whenever I get my fingerprints taken for government ids, it takes them 4-5 tries for each finger…
Yes, still very primitative in comparsion to Windows Hello (not to mention the lack of any touch screen).
It is not an authentication issue. It just stops working. Place finger on reader and it just "wobbles". try a few times then need to enter password. It has been like that on every TouchID Apple have ever sold me. Support always say they have never seen this yet offer little solution. If I erase the print and add a new one it can work for a few days to a week or more then same again. Makes little difference which finger I use.
Now the iMac has done the same. Stopped working after weeks. No idea why. Maybe it is because weather is warmer and as a rarity I have properly perfused fingers. Same symptom as in all previous.
I detest Touch ID. It makes me sad when Apple continue to introduce it as some authentication miracle as I know the grief it will bring for me. I will look into disabling on my Macs and using watch which is reliable. Sigh.
I wish Apple would bring in NFC YubiKey or similar - a hardware token would be ideal! Or just add FaceID to computers. I love iPad and iPhone and they never fail me.
Slight aside. My sister and mum can authenticate each other's FaceID. Every single time. So much for being unique and flawless! On many occasions I can FaceID my dad's phone ...
Very primitive. I have a Windows desktop with Face ID and it makes me sad to see what MS can do and Apple can surely do. especially as they have added it to iPhone and iPad. Though that would also need explanation on why they continue to use awful cameras on computers. The difference between iPhone, iPad, MBA and iMac camera is awful - and best not to discuss the Studio display I returned ;-)
None of the issues. My fingers leave little marks on glass. I have OCD so my hands are always very clean. I have no damage. I do have circulation issues and fingers can change in blood perfusion, temperature and I guess that affects it.
I have several friends who have same issues with TouchID and all have it disabled for that reason. I guess I will do the same and rely on Watch. Thankfully 1password (finally) added watch to authenticate.
TouchID is very reliable on my 16" M1BP.
The Face ID array is twice as thick as the MBP lid so it would never fit in a MacBook.
I think I will do the same on iMac and MBA.
I just wish Apple would not apply their usual reality distortion field to the flawless and seamless TouchID. Just given replies in this thread I cannot imagine the issues are not more widespread than they accept.
I guess I have the wrong finger or I am placing it incorrectly on the reader or some other user failure. After all it could no be a lame fingerprint reader that has somehow been cheaped out to keep price down.
Just for the record I love Apple hardware and have used it for many years. I am not a hater. Just a hater of the reality distortion field they often apply especially when I call support and I am supposedly the first person ever to report this issue (or any issue as happened with the iMac 5k 2015 firmware update saga that they had never seen before ...)
That's likely to be it. Fingers not at all greasy and probably too dry. My right thumb and finger often feel very dry and even if I re-register them they only work for a few days. Odd, as I'd suspect them to either work or not work, not work for a bit then stop.
Anyway, solution was easy in my case - use other fingers (any on my left hand always work).
I am glad I am not alone. Speaking to Apple they make me feel like some sort of freak occurrence! I have tried different fingers. The best one so far has been my middle finger on right hand closely followed by ring finger. Index is worst.
Oddly after 2 hours on strike the iMac has decided to work again!
Over the years TouchID has worked better for me than FaceID, and no issues so far with my M1 Air.
I've never had issues with FaceID on my phone. Maybe your face is too dry? 😁
TouchID has packed up several times over past few days. Weather is warmer at the moment - always a sign (lack of)TouchID will present itself again. Deleted and relearnt several. Sometimes fails later in the same say. Now the same on MBA (disabled now as have given up) and on iMac (trying once more then give up).
What really annoys me is I have a simple USB fingerprint reader on Windows 10. It works flawlessly every time. Asked others to try and it fails them. How can a £20 USB reader from Amazon that needed no drivers and just worked be so flawless yet the Apple version is and always has been so problematic for me? Also on Windows my webcam works for face recognition and is flawless - and way, way better than the MBA camera and way better than iMac 24 camera. How can this be when Apple sell on a premium hardware stance?
Again for record I love Apple hardware ands software but the little niggles spoil it for me and undermine my confidence. Issues such as the ID, lack of FaceID on desktop, poor webcam comparatively, issues such as Apple Mail failing to authenticate iCloud mail (Apple suggest a reboot to restore it yet no way to diagnose it and it works), Safari Tab syncing (what a tragic mess that is and has always been yet Firefox is flawless - again how can this be??), iCloud randomly asking me to sign in again to restore all services in Apple ID. So many superb features yet an increasingly growing list of little niggles to spoil it for me.
Little rant off my chest ... ;-)
What really annoys me is I have a simple USB fingerprint reader on Windows 10. It works flawlessly every time. Asked others to try and it fails them. How can a £20 USB reader from Amazon that needed no drivers and just worked be so flawless yet the Apple version is and always has been so problematic for me? Also on Windows my webcam works for face recognition and is flawless - and way, way better than the MBA camera and way better than iMac 24 camera. How can this be when Apple sell on a premium hardware stance?
Again for record I love Apple hardware ands software but the little niggles spoil it for me and undermine my confidence. Issues such as the ID, lack of FaceID on desktop, poor webcam comparatively, issues such as Apple Mail failing to authenticate iCloud mail (Apple suggest a reboot to restore it yet no way to diagnose it and it works), Safari Tab syncing (what a tragic mess that is and has always been yet Firefox is flawless - again how can this be??), iCloud randomly asking me to sign in again to restore all services in Apple ID. So many superb features yet an increasingly growing list of little niggles to spoil it for me.
Little rant off my chest ... ;-)
It is likely that the cheap fingerprint sensors aren’t very secure. Same with your webcam doing facial recognition.
For most people touchId and faceId work perfectly. Sorry to hear they don’t work well for you.
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From the perspective of you asking others' opinions, I have had no issue with it at all.
I would hate FaceID on a Mac and would not use it. If they take TouchID away I'll just go back to using a password.
I would hate FaceID on a Mac and would not use it. If they take TouchID away I'll just go back to using a password.
i love TouchID
FaceID wouldn't really offer me any benefit at all, as i'd still need to press some key for confirmation anyway.
only condition where it's not working absolutely perfectly for me is when i didn't dry my hands enough right away after washing them
FaceID wouldn't really offer me any benefit at all, as i'd still need to press some key for confirmation anyway.
only condition where it's not working absolutely perfectly for me is when i didn't dry my hands enough right away after washing them
I have tried index, middle and ring fingers recently. All have same issues. It is very frustrating. Maybe it gives me an excuse to go back to my Keychron K6! I can use watch which works okay so not all bad.
I am also none of those. I do wash my hands frequently (I have OCD) and have eczema but does not affect my hands other than they can be prone to dry or cold. I use medically provided emollients and moisturisers and soap substitutes which controls the dryness. My hands always feel smooth, neither dry nor oily with no skin issues. I simply cannot understand it.