Touch ID stopped working after Big Sur update

I can verify that uninstalling Little Snitch, restores the Touch ID log in function. I also noticed that after re-installing it, Touch ID still works. So, basically, I installed it and reinstalled it, and the problem is solved for me. Bitdefender does not affect any function.

Hope this helps.

Hmmm. So, on that knowledge, I went to go in and check my firewall settings in system preferences. It is turned on. BUT -- in trying to Unlock the system so I could experiment with firewall off, it won't accept the password I use successfully everyday to log into the computer in the first place.

This is really turning into a stupid nightmare.

It's getting more interesting everyday. I didn't change anything on the systems firewall. However, I checked now and mine is working perfect, but after reinstalling Little Snitch (don't know for before, when the problem existed). Someone with better knowledge might be able to help.

Best,

A.

Hopefully that person will also be able to explain why after installing Update 11.2.3 just 20 minutes ago my 16" MBP now stalls for several minutes halfway through boot up, and Finger Print still doesn't work for admin sign-in.

The nightmare continues.

It shouldn’t be issues with the Apple built in firewall but 🤷🏻‍♂️ - may be something in the interaction between Little Snitch preboot cache and the T2 chip (google it) thats causing problems for people with Little Snitch installed - seeing as you don’t have it installed , ( and assuming you don’t have any other third party firewall or Internet security product) make sure you are following the Apple authorised PRAM and SMC reset instructions for your specific Mac model (ie T2 chip or no T2chip). If that doesn’t work, try a Disk first aid repair using Disk Utility( google it as well) and make sure you aren’t super low on disk space. sorry I’m out of suggestions other than a full system reinstall from scratch after that OR Apple Genius Bar im afraid ... good luck!

I believe I finally solved the problem of, at least, my own touch-id problems.

I tried to re-install Big Sur a few times but it did not resolve the problem. However each time that I completely wiped my HD I could set touch-id up and it would keep working. But the problems came back as soon as I used Migration Assistant.

This led me to believe that some settings etc. that I could not skip from migration, were each time taken from my old MacBook Pro. That did not run Big Sur and was an Intel without T2 chip. Since Big Sur many security settings had changed and on a MacBook Pro M1 there are even security differences in the hardware.

But what went wrong I wondered. Then on this Apple support Forum some users told that their problems went away after deleting Little Snitch. And these problems even stayed away after re-installation of this FireWall module.

When I first set up the M1 computer I was struck by the fact that the FireWall was disabled by default. I thought of that as a serious fault on Apple's side. But now I thought that this might have been on purpose. Maybe my own firewall was blocking the use of touch-id. Or maybe some settings of my old laptop were imported into the settings of my new one and caused a conflict. Or maybe some apps that originally had full disc access on my old computer, could obstruct security settings on my new one.

So I went to the security and privacy panel in the system settings. I first removed all app's that had full disc acces, I had already disabled them but now I removed them from the list until the list was blank. Then I went to the firewall and disabled it. Then I deleted all my fingerprints.

I closed the system settings and with my cursor I restarted the computer.

After initial start-up the laptop stalled and a program called Recovery Assistant came up. And it started to recover the security settings. I did not do anything it started by itself I have never heard of this app before.

After restoration of the security settings, the app disappeared and the M1 started up as normal.

This morning my touch-id is still working as normal and I am pretty sure that it will keep working. I have enabled the FireWall after giving in new finger prints yesterday. But I did not enable Stealth mode.

Forget the pandemic or just the universe at large, it's my T2 16" MBP that wants me dead. I've tried everything on this forum and beyond. Fingerprint works only in the systems preference panel (to unlock the lock) but fails to appear upon boot up or after sleep. The laptop also stalls halfway on boot up -- after all resets and (multiple, now) complete re-installs of Big Surly.

The machine works well otherwise, so it's most certainly a software issue.

OK -- have found (by accident) a workaround to the Big Surly stalling halfway on reboot problem. In trying to reinstall Catalina -- as a way to avoid slitting my wrists -- that re-install actually failed (it couldn't find the hard drive to install the system to). In then aborting the Catalina re-install, which forced a manual choosing of the hard drive to boot from just to get the laptop up and working again, and then restarting, Big Sur loaded immediately (well, without delay).

My guess is something goes awry with a regular Big Sur install such that the controller has to do extra scanning to (eventually) see the hard drive?

Resetting the SMC by shutting down MAC and holding the power button for 10 seconds resolved the issue for me

It did not help after resetting, Dont know why.

I called Apple support and they sent me an email about how to fix it.

How to reset the SMC of your Mac 

This trick worked. Thanks for the help.

https://support.apple.com/en-ca/HT201295

Shutting down, holding the power button for at least 10 seconds, followed by a normal restart, fixed the issue.

Perfect, shutting down & holding the power button for 10 seconds reset touch ID perfect !

I have same problem, after big sur update, frustrated

Did you find a resolution? I have the exact same problem and same computer - have gone through all of the suggested fixes and nothing worked.