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My hands are not greasy, my 5s is perfectly clean and still it doesn't really 'just work' the way you'd expect it to. You seem to have to do it at the right angle every time if you want it to actually work properly, align your finger 20* to the left or right and it'll just say 'try again'.
Works the way I expected it to. I only have problems if my fingers are wet. That said, fingerprint aren't all the same from person to person in terms of readability. It's also certainly possible that something's up with your fingerprint scanner or even the way you registered your fingerprint.

Be careful using "you" where you should use "I".
 
"every time I press the home button it seems to unlock my phone about half the time"

I'm watching anchor man tonight!
 
Mine works probably 85% of the time. If I don't use the exact center of the tip of my thumb on it, there's a small chance it'll fail. I've tried setting up it many different ways and the result is always the same. I've actually done this on 3 separate phones and they've all been the same, so the issue most likely isn't the phone. I wonder if finger size has something to do with it? My thumbs are pretty large, not gigantic but definitely larger than the average persons. I tried setting it up and moving it around a lot, but I'd constantly get messages about not moving it so much. Even then I'd continue trying to move it a lot and set it up, but the same issue occurs once I try to unlock it.
 
Touch ID has worked great for me. If you're using the side of your thumb when you set it up with your full print then yeah, you're gonna have problems. But it's been great. You can add up to 5 fingerprints, so just set up some different angles of the thumb print if it's that big of an issue - set up some sort of safety net. ;)
 
I have yet to have a problem. I wish the phone would stay unlocked for a few minutes in fingerprint mode, but it's so fast I'm used to it already.
 
Sorry Balmer for losing your money generating job. That sucks!

You are all alone again on this. We love the Touch Id!
 
Wrong. Do you actually own one? Certainly and quite the opposite of useless. IF you actually own one. It won't work on your Samsung phone yet. Maybe next year though ;)

Yes i do own one goofball, got one 1 hour after release. Not sure why you are throwing up Samsung, you work for Apple or have some inferior complex or something.

Anyway i have done some winging on here mainly due to frustration not being able to get it to work most of the time like others are claiming. I wasn't worried about security just the easier way to unlock the phone, although ios7 has made that easier by being able to swipe anywhere on the screen.

So after much trial and error i am getting 100% by figuring out that for my thumb or phone (i don't know) that by pushing the home button towards the top or left side and holding my thumb on the ring it works. If i push the home button in the middle i then have to lean the thumb on the side of the ring.
I also set up my thumb 5 different ways.

I guess i am one of the 4 people out of tens of thousands, should have rang those newspapers:rolleyes::rolleyes:
 
The one time it didn't work I didn't leave my finger on there long enough (meaning I clicked the home button and then moved it off. Otherwise it works flawlessly!

Its quite nice, I don't miss entering my stupid 4 digit pin AT ALL!

Right? Except when I grab my work phone (Galaxy S3) and press the home button I'm like, "Why the hell isn't this opening? Oh..."
 
My experience after 3 weeks: Touch ID works well, except when you need it the most, then it fails miserably.
 
The only time I have had an issue is if my fingers are wet or damp. A quick wipe solves the issue. I've been very happy with it and hope the upcoming iPads have touchID.
 
I'd say it works about half of the time.

Set it up for both of my thumbs and every time I press the home button it seems to unlock my phone about half the time. It's literally 50/50 'try again' and successful unlocking.

I've tried re-doing the setup for it about 10 times now, doing exactly what it says on the screen and I just can't make it work properly.

My hands are not greasy, my 5s is perfectly clean and still it doesn't really 'just work' the way you'd expect it to. You seem to have to do it at the right angle every time if you want it to actually work properly, align your finger 20* to the left or right and it'll just say 'try again'.

Seems to work just fine for me. ;)
 
Are you sure you are doing it correctly?

You have to click and keep the finger while you lift the button.
If you stop touching it, it fails.

Does it work better if you first use sleep/wake at the top to get to the lock screen and then use your thumb?
This is incorrect. You don't need to click the button. Just touch it.
 
It does not! It may be the user... :^). Actually the touch ID works best if your thumb is somewhat moist or sticky feeling. If you have really dry skin and dry thumbs like I do, it doesn't work as well. But if you lick your thumb or put some sort of moisture to it, it works immediately. I kind of have some dry cracky skin on my thumb so I usually moisten my thumb by licking it or touching a cold glass of water and getting some of the condensation on my thumb and then wiping my thumb off on my jeans to wear it just moist and touching the touch ID it works immediately. However I realize that not everyone is going to have a glass of cold water or beverage nearby, but I think the moist thumb creates a better electrical signal to the home button therefore reading your thumbprint much better.
 
Anyone have the issue where it constantly makes you re-login for app store purchases? If i register my print to authorize purchases, its cool if i do a purchase later in the day, but if i try to purchase something the next day, it will say it needs reauthorized. It is constant.

Is it after you've reset or shut off your phone? Do you have a CC# on file? Do you have the secondary security procedure turned on? Or was it after one of the point updates? Mine seems to be working fine---but I haven't bought an app in a bit--I'll try this weekend, there's a few I've been looking at and let you know

I have yet to have a problem. I wish the phone would stay unlocked for a few minutes in fingerprint mode, but it's so fast I'm used to it already.

You can set up how long you'd like it to stay 'unlocked' or open....as long as you don't hit the top (power) button, it'll stay lit

Wrong. Do you actually own one? Certainly and quite the opposite of useless. IF you actually own one. It won't work on your Samsung phone yet. Maybe next year though ;)

Yes i do own one goofball, got one 1 hour after release. Not sure why you are throwing up Samsung, you work for Apple or have some inferior complex or something.

Anyway i have done some winging on here mainly due to frustration not being able to get it to work most of the time like others are claiming. I wasn't worried about security just the easier way to unlock the phone, although ios7 has made that easier by being able to swipe anywhere on the screen.

So after much trial and error i am getting 100% by figuring out that for my thumb or phone (i don't know) that by pushing the home button towards the top or left side and holding my thumb on the ring it works. If i push the home button in the middle i then have to lean the thumb on the side of the ring.
I also set up my thumb 5 different ways.

I guess i am one of the 4 people out of tens of thousands, should have rang those newspapers:rolleyes::rolleyes:

No---I don't work for Apple and I've never had an inferiority complex...not sure how you'd gather that from my response to....YOUR two word, selected responses to others essentially calling them 'liars'. Go back, re-read what I quoted and then responded to you with. Whether or not you were being sarcastic, pissed off or having a bad day---your two quotes to others saying it 'works' telling them they're full of it was the issue---and would more likely put you in the inferiority camp.

That said---I'm glad to hear you got it working. As you noticed, I also added (to your response earlier) a solution. If it's not working for you, get it replaced. It's amazing to ME how well, how often and how efficiently it actually DOES work---and when one person jumps in to discredit not only folks in the thread but dozens of reviews proclaiming quite the opposite, how would you expect someone to react?

"Call the papers?" I don't get it? Do you work for Samsung? ;) (sarcasm, wink)

Chill

J
 
I agree with the OP, touch ID sucks. (at least for me).

Why are we still having this debate?!?

SIMPLE!!!

http://youtu.be/7di8RCSpNFA

You're just trying to be a smartass. ;-) We'er having the debate because it does not work like that for many people, including the ones here.

That's exactly how it works for me, ... right after I set it up. And then slowly and steadily Touch ID forgets my fingerprints, until it does not work at all anymore. Sometimes it takes a day, sometimes it takes a few hours, but inevitably it always fails after a while.

In my case, Apple's statement at http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5883, "As you use Touch ID, it will continue to learn and improve recognition of your fingerprint." is not at all true. In fact in my case, the phone FORGETS my fingerprints.

And this was the number one reason I upgraded to the 5s. Apple isn't even acknowledging that there is a problem.
 
I having the same issue as the original poster. I've re-done my print once, added my other thumb. It works the first couple of times but after that it maybe works 10% of the time - basically never. My daughter added a fingerprint for herself and doesn't seem to have an issue but she also has only done it a couple of times. I might bring my phone back to the store where I got it last weekend. I don't think it's an issue of not doing it right so it's likely that the sensor is faulty in my case
 
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