Bug with Touch ID on iMac M1

Question

Level 1

10 points

Bug with Touch ID on iMac M1

I have identified a problem/bug with Touch ID on my new iMac M1 macOS 11.6 (20G165):

As is expected, after 48hours of inactivity, a user is expected to enter the password again.

However what I have noticed is that after 48hours TouchID simply stops working: you type the password to use the iMac, but touch id does not work, there is not even a popup to use it in cases you need to enter a password.

I verified that it is not working by also going to settings>touch id> add fingerprint, where I received a pop message "Unable to complete Touch ID enrollment. Please go back and try again".

The only way to rectify the problem is to restart the computer, but whenever the 48hrs of inactivity pass, touch id stops working again, and I also tried PRAM reset.

Posted on Sep 28, 2021 6:21 AM

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Answer 1

mario49

Community Specialist

Sep 29, 2021 7:24 AM in response to akouris

Greetings akouris,

Touch ID is a great feature of your iMac and Magic Keyboard, and you’ve come to a wonderful place for help! The following article has a section titled Try these steps. The steps shown in that section are specific to the issue you’re facing with Touch ID.

If Touch ID isn’t working on your Mac

Keep us posted on the issue after those steps. Have a great day!

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Answer 2

Sep 29, 2021 9:48 AM in response to akouris

We apologize for any confusion akouris.

The article If Touch ID isn’t working on your Mac that was previously linked is a great starting point. While the issue isn’t with Touch ID not working at all, these steps are very helpful with resolving any Touch ID related issue.

If you continue to have issues after completing the steps outlined in that article. The next step would be to reach out to Apple. You can find their contact information via the Get Support website.

Take care.

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Answer 3

Sep 29, 2021 10:22 AM in response to akouris

We truly understand where you’re coming from akouris.

As previously stated the prior linked article If Touch ID isn't working on your Mac does list troubleshooting steps in the Try these steps section. While those steps don’t reference the exact issue you’re facing, these are the recommended troubleshooting steps for this issue. In addition to those steps to help isolate the issue. You can see if the issue continues when in safe mode, and when logged in to a different user account. Do keep in mind that some features may not work in safe mode. You may notice Touch ID not being available.

How to use safe mode on your Mac

Set up users, guests, and groups on Mac

Notate the results when in safe mode and a different user account, then contact Apple with the results. They’ll be able to take a closer look in to why this may be occurring, and may be able to provide additional troubleshooting steps. The previously linked Get Support site is a great place to find their contact details.

We hope you have a great rest of your week.

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Answer 4

akouris Author

Level 1

10 points

Sep 29, 2021 9:36 AM in response to hcsitas

The "Prevent computer from sleeping" is already checked, as are the other three options "wake for network access" and "startup automatically after a power failure".

Should I disable the other two?

Keep in mind that as I described the problem is related to the 48hour expiration of TouchID computer access, and not with these three options.

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Answer 5

hcsitas

Level 6

13,190 points

Sep 29, 2021 9:40 AM in response to akouris

You can leave automatic on, but wake needs to be unchecked. Then shut, disconnect power from wall/strip socket for 10 minutes and bring everything back up. It’s a shot in the wild admittedly, but nothing to lose.

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Answer 6

akouris Author

Level 1

10 points

Sep 29, 2021 9:58 AM in response to MichelleT18

Dear Michelle,

I think it is better not to have a reply, than to have a reply with irrelevant information. Because the next person who has the same problem will loose time reading through all these replies that provide no help.

Just because the link you provide has "touch id" in the subject, it does not make it relevant.

I wonder if both you and Mario are real person who read the actual post and comprehended the issue, or these replies are some weird machine learning algorithm that detects keywords/keyphrases and provides replies in "natural language" with some links that come up. Just a thought because I see too many of these replies on issues all over Apple's discussion forums.

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