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Touch ID works what percent of the time

Touch ID Works what % of the time

  • 90 - 100%

    Votes: 101 62.0%

  • 80 - 90%

    Votes: 14 8.6%

  • 70 - 80%

    Votes: 20 12.3%

  • 60 - 70%

    Votes: 15 9.2%

  • Less than 50% of the timw

    Votes: 13 8.0%
  • Total voters
    163
I'd say mine works about 60-70% of the time. This is my second 5s, had the first one replaced because of TouchID issues. They're not as bad on the replacement phone but it doesn't work nearly as well as it seems to for most people.
I did notice that when I have a lot of apps "open" it doesn't work as well, but when I close most or all of the apps it starts working again. Not sure if this is coincidence or not but it consistently happens this way.
I'm starting to wonder if its just something with my finger though, considering this is my second 5s.
 
Phrasikleia said:
You guys are making me think that I must have a hardware problem. There is a very long thread on the Apple Support Forums about Touch ID issues, and I have tried everything in there. No matter what I do, my Touch ID follows the exact same pattern every time:

1) For the first hour, it works 100%, regardless of the finger or the temperature or anything else.

2) After the first hour, it starts to degrade and requires several attempts to unlock the phone.

3) After about 90 minutes, it won't work at all.​


Here are the things I've tried:

• Rescanning according to the "Jo Fo" method: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3r8AGn9PCI&feature=youtu.be

• Registering the same finger twice

• Always using the fleshiest part of the finger and covering the entire button

• Keeping the button and the fingers very clean

• Hard-Resetting the phone​


Hardware problem?
Click to expand...

Sounds like mine :(
 
It works great when it does for me but every once in a while I delete my prints and re enter them cuz it stops working
 
Touch ID works what percent of the time

I feel it works about 88% of the time if you don't place your finger dead on. It seems to love the words "Try Again" far too much. Still pretty convenient though and I use it all the time, especially love it for purchases.


Shoco said:
A good trick I've found to improve the accuracy of Touch ID is to configure your fingerprint with your finger crooked not centered, just like it would be when holding the phone with just one hand and trying to touch the sensor with the thumb.
Click to expand...


This

I set mine up the same way, I tried to push the boundaries as far as I could at an angle. I don't see why anyone would set theirs up with their thumb at a 90 degree angle, no one holds their phone like that.
 
Last edited:
Here's a trick:

Register your finger multiple times (so that one finger is registered as 2 or 3 different fingers). Once using the tip of the finger and once using the center of your finger. You can repeat this process if you have different finger placements.
 
Phrasikleia said:
You guys are making me think that I must have a hardware problem. There is a very long thread on the Apple Support Forums about Touch ID issues, and I have tried everything in there. No matter what I do, my Touch ID follows the exact same pattern every time:

1) For the first hour, it works 100%, regardless of the finger or the temperature or anything else.

2) After the first hour, it starts to degrade and requires several attempts to unlock the phone.

3) After about 90 minutes, it won't work at all.​


Here are the things I've tried:

• Rescanning according to the "Jo Fo" method: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3r8AGn9PCI&feature=youtu.be

• Registering the same finger twice

• Always using the fleshiest part of the finger and covering the entire button

• Keeping the button and the fingers very clean

• Hard-Resetting the phone​


Hardware problem?
Click to expand...


I have registered 4 fingers. Both thumbs and both pointer fingers on each hand. My left hand is my dominant hand for the phone so my left thumb is what I use the most. I can tell the difference between the hands and the touch ID unlock. The right hand might have a few "Try Again" issues. The left one 99% of the time, has no issue. A couple things to keep in mind..

1 - The more you use TouchID, the better it gets. It becomes more consistent.
2 - You do not need to register your finger more than once.
3 - When your phone is asleep and you click the home button to wake it up and unlock, keep your finger on it. Do not remove it. Click, release and hold. It's instant for me.
4 - When unlocking your phone when it's not asleep, it's not as "instant" but there should be no issues.

I have had no issues. That doesn't mean your phone doesn't have a problem. If these solutions do not work, it's either biological (your finger print/electrical of your body) or hardware issues.
 
macigo said:
Once you restart the phone, it works much faster.
Click to expand...

Though it won't stay faster.

I would say it works about 90% of the time for me. It got really bad at one time, so I did a settings reset and rescanned my fingerprints. Works most of the time, but is quite frustrating for that 1-2 times each day that the phone doesn't recognise my fingerprint. :p
 
The only fingers I ever use to unlock my phone are my two thumbs and two index fingers.
 
I'd say mine works 80-90% of the time whereas when I first got the phones it was around 50-60%. I think the last software update helped mine a lot, or it really did learn my fingers better over time :)
 
I just turned my off since in the last week it worked 0 % even after a re-added a new fingerprint.

What bothers me if it is turned on the lock on the phone is immediate - I don't want immediate I want to be able to delay lock for 1, 5, 15 minutes etc. So with instant lock and not working - turned it off.
 
Had my 5s for almost a week now and Touch ID has been a bit flaky, to my disappointment. Sometimes it's instant, other times it takes a few seconds. Sometimes it doesn't work, but when I try a different finger it does it. It's weird...
 
My left thumb is 100% but my right thumb often fails. I'd say my right thumb is 75-80%. I've tried all the tricks suggested here and elsewhere. I have a callous on the edge of my right thumb which I think is the cause.
 
I only use mine with my thumb to unlock it and it seems to work on the first try about ~80% of the time. I configured mine with my thumb a bit crooked just like it would be when I'm normally holding it.
 
Depends... are you asking if we see the 'Try Again' message or if we have to type in our passcode at all?

I'll get the 'Try Again' every 3rd or 4th time I try unlocking my phone, but, except for when I'm wearing gloves or had just restarted, I can't tell you the last time I've had to manually enter my code.

Even with the 'Try Again,' it always goes through on a 2nd or 3rd attempt.
 
cyks said:
Depends... are you asking if we see the 'Try Again' message or if we have to type in our passcode at all?

I'll get the 'Try Again' every 3rd or 4th time I try unlocking my phone, but, except for when I'm wearing gloves or had just restarted, I can't tell you the last time I've had to manually enter my code.

Even with the 'Try Again,' it always goes through on a 2nd or 3rd attempt.
Click to expand...

Same experience for me.

I think a better question is "What percentage does it work on the first try?"

I have noticed on my Space Grey iPhone, Touch ID works about 65-75% on the first try.

I have my thumb print programmed into my fiance's Gold iPhone and I can unlock her phone 95% of time on the first try.

Could it be an issue with the transparency of the home button? Is this the reason for the shortage of Silver and Gold iPhones for the first month of the launch?
 
I set it up after i downloaded 7.04 or whatever the newest update is called.
I set up three fingers on my right hand and one on my left. The ones on my right have been 100% so far. The thumb on my left it's about 80% but i just get try again message then it goes in.

Only complaint is that it should have been 10 finger prints instead of 5. This is one of those things you appreciate when you dont have it.
 
100%. Set up right hand index finger, right hand thumb and left hand thumb, and I haven't had a single failure to recognize any of the three.
 
Shoco said:
If you position your finger properly on the button it's gonna work every time.

In other words, 60% of the time it works every time xD
Click to expand...

Heh, if only even that much were true for everyone. I can position my finger as carefully and deliberately as possible and get 0% success. Fails every time after a day or so. Then I re-enroll the finger, and it works perfectly again for a day or two.
 
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