Touch ID Rarely Working Now

Question

Level 1

13 points

Touch ID Rarely Working Now

My iPhone 8 will not recognize my Touch ID fingerprint lately. I've made sure all updates are current, my finger & the touch pad are clean & dry, have rebooted the phone, have toggled Phone Unlock, iTunes & App Store, etc. off - then back on. Are they trying to FORCE me to discard an otherwise perfectly good phone & upgrade? It's exasperating to have to key in my PIN every time my phone locks. I tried just turning off Touch ID when I'm at home, but it drains the batters.

iPhone 8

Posted on Apr 7, 2023 7:09 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Lawrence Finch

Community+ 2026

Level 10

233,404 points

Apr 7, 2023 7:43 AM in response to cindi18

Have you tried re-recording your fingerprints? Your fingers wear over time, and seasonal changes can make your fingers dryer or more moist, which can change the way they are scanned.

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Answer 2

Alancito

Level 7

30,516 points

Apr 7, 2023 8:26 AM in response to cindi18

cindi18 wrote: "...I tried just turning off Touch ID when I'm at home, but it drains the batters."

And there's your clue: the battery. Does your iPhone 8 still have its original battery?

And what's the Maximum Capacity % here?...

Settings > Battery > Battery Health

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Answer 3

ItsCozmo

Level 1

8 points

Apr 7, 2023 7:35 AM in response to cindi18

It’s likely that the continued use of your iPhone has, over time, caused the TouchID sensors to stop working/not work as well, thus causing this problem. Apple may be able to fix this at a price, and is not trying to force you to get a brand new phone. However, my recommendation is that you get a new phone, as the brand new iPhones are relatively inexpensive and you may be able to get it even cheaper using Apple’s Trade-In program.

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Answer 4

Apr 7, 2023 2:25 PM in response to cindi18

How about the SE? It’s the closest model to your iPhone 8, and it’s $429. It also has more storage than your iPhone 8, supports 5G cellular, and is dual SIM.

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Answer 5

pogster

Level 5

5,149 points

Apr 7, 2023 8:22 AM in response to cindi18

My wife has the same issue with her 8. It worked for awhile but eventually stopped. I however have never had an issue unlocking her phone with my fingerprint so I don’t believe its a hardware issue but rather her fingerprints. I agree with Lawrences assessment and recommendation. Give it a try and see if it helps.

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Answer 6

cindi18 Author

Level 1

13 points

Apr 7, 2023 2:44 PM in response to Lawrence Finch

I have only used 67.1 GB of 256 GB available on my phone and everything but the Touch ID is perfectly fine. The Touch ID works to open a couple financial institutions' apps I use, but it doesn't work for unlocking the phone itself. Very frustrating.

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Answer 7

pogster

Level 5

5,149 points

Apr 7, 2023 8:31 AM in response to pogster

FWIW she has the same issue with the fingerprint reader on our M2 MB Air.

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Answer 8

cindi18 Author

Level 1

13 points

Apr 7, 2023 2:21 PM in response to ItsCozmo

I'm sorry, but $800-$1,000 for a new phone is not "relatively inexpensive" in my world, and yes, I've checked into the Trade-In program. My iPhone 8 isn't worth much to them.

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