Touch ID being Erratic

And the same advice applies to you. If they can't sokve it themselves, ask them to give us a way to manually input our prints. See my post on page 37 and pasted here:

Since the iOS 7.1 beta does not address this, I suggest we all ask Apple for an enhancement at http://www.apple.com/feedback/iphone.html . Maybe if everyone here does the same thing, we can get a faster response. Feel free to copy and paste. I just submitted this:

Subject: Touch ID Fails after a short time

Touch ID works great initially, but fails completely for me after a few hours.

It seems to me that it fails because my prints change a little bit, and thinking they’re normal, the software adds them to the existing print. Over time, this actually degrades the existing print, until it no longer works. I suggest that you change the software as follows:

1 change the enrollment procedure to allow as many scans as I want to do

2 allow me to go back and add to an enrollment at any time

3 provide a “disable” switch in the touch id settings to disable the automatic modification of a stored print by the software

I would be willing to test these ideas, if you want.

THIS OUGHT TO BE A VERY SIMPLE THING FOR THEM TO DO, AND I BELIEVE ALL OF US WOULD BE ABLE TO CREATE A PRINT THAT WOULD WORK FOR US.

I am very happy that a few of you are contacting Apple directly as this thread is not monitored by them. The best scenario would be for them to read this whole discussion but as I am told by Apple advisors who work on this with me they don't. However I see that there is a place to leave feedback (see the link above from Paulfromhere) and it states that they do read that altho may never get back to you. It at least alerts them that there is a problem. If you have time and can it would also be helpful for you to contact Apple chat (this website) or phone Apple directly. This gets them working on your case at least. I have done all three things.

Yesterday they called me and told me to enroll another person's finger as well as my own and keep track of how the phone works. It worked lovely for both of us till almost betime and then I got a "try again" before it let me in. My husband on the other hand got right in as he had since that morning. This morning I got "try again" 2 times, then next try at it I got one "try again" and the third time it gave me 3 messages before I got in. My husband still got in like I did when the phone was set up as a "new phone" using Apple's instructions. About an hour and a half later I was having to use my passcode and my hubby was still getting instant access. Now he would be the one that has damaged prints, as he works on construction, and mine should be fine. The biggest difference is that his thumb is almost one and a half times as big as mine and perhaps when he scanned his print he has more of the "core" of his print so it takes longer to degrade. I am not even going to speculate about that but I am waiting for a call back this monring so we'll see what happens. Will get back to you.

doggyluver5 wrote:

I just tried this now Joe_Fo and it works the same as doing the whole thing by the home button. The thing is I do not believe we should have to jump thru all these hoops to make the darn thing work. Most of these solutions take longer than if I just punched my passcode in in the first place!! I am looking for it to just work without making sure I have the "exact" pressure and "exact" position of my finger on the scanner. I just put my finger on the button and very gently pushed and I was in just after I set the phone up as new. That is how I feel it is supposed to work. I am through looking for more answers about how to treat this TID. All of this should have been done when they were testing it for sale. I don't want to be their guinea pig and on top of that pay for the priviledge!!

DING DING DING DING!!!!

You've hit the nail right on the head in addressing the real issue here. I jumped into this thread on about page 29 with the hopes of finding a fix for this problem. I was here when Joe_Fo first published his print scanning ideas and tried them, got more time out of a scan (three or four days however, now when I rescan a print I get about a day, i.e. if I scan in the morning the following morning TID fails to open). I sent apple feedback on this, as recommended, and went to the genuius bar where all they did was reset my phone. While I still monitor the thead I have basically given up on TID because no matter what, inevitably it will fail for me.

The temporary fixes (going into edit and relearning the scan, for example) don't last for me; doing that might get TID to work for a short time, but eventually the scan will fail.

And, the bottom line is that doing all these things takes more time then simply entering the passcode.

Still hoping for a fix for this, though.

It is done. Apple phoned me and took a phone log off my computer and just before that I plugged my phone in and tried the TID (of course it failed) so they have a record of the failure. They are to get back to me by tomorrow or Monday so hopefully they will have an answer.

Thank you doggyluver5 for posting your experience here.

The touch id on my phone has been working well for over 2 weeks, I posted what I did Jan 17th.

Hope it keeps working, however, a satisfactory reply to you from Apple will be a huge step forward.

My problem is that the last weeks my iPhone,from time to time, doesn't recognize my right thumb.

I don't know how many times I readded my prints and it still fails.

smilleresq wrote:

[snip]

The temporary fixes (going into edit and relearning the scan, for example) don't last for me; doing that might get TID to work for a short time, but eventually the scan will fail.

And, the bottom line is that doing all these things takes more time then simply entering the passcode.

Still hoping for a fix for this, though.

Darn, I lost a convert 😟

Point of correction: Renaming a scan isn't a fix for anything, it only makes it easier to remember what finger is which if you happen to enroll more than one (not a good idea for now, IMHO) or to name it with a date tag to timestamp it. Perhaps you were thinking of refreshing a print entry.

Working on a method to help the "learning impaired" learning algorithm that's showing promise, but needs a few days to proof. Probably doesn't negate the restrictions for using TID though. However, the ultimate fix needs to be made in IOS...

Joe_Fo wrote:

Point of correction: Renaming a scan isn't a fix for anything, it only makes it easier to remember what finger is which if you happen to enroll more than one (not a good idea for now, IMHO) or to name it with a date tag to timestamp it. Perhaps you were thinking of refreshing a print entry.

Working on a method to help the "learning impaired" learning algorithm that's showing promise, but needs a few days to proof. Probably doesn't negate the restrictions for using TID though. However, the ultimate fix needs to be made in IOS...

That's what I meant (going into edit and retraining the scan to recognize more of the print).

Apple just now got back to me and the logs showed what I told them.....that my hubby got into the phone every time and mine failed over the 24 hrs. I think I said before my hubby works on construction which is rough on the hands (he's also a mechanic for heavy road construction) so I think his prints would be much more damaged than mine if we are looking at that. I'm now thinking maybe it is good to have damaged fingers as they will have unique points for the scanner to pick up on. Maybe I have too bland a print as I always have done bookwork. We are both in our sixties too if that makes a difference. Anyway, Apple says they are now aware of the problem and that they are trying to come up with a solution but don't promise anything in the early future. It will apparently come in the form of a software update. I think I will go back to the passcode unless anyone can come up with a good solution. I guess Apple got ahead of itself with this technology and didn't take some details into account but the great public is providing them with feedback now and they have to do something. I would asks though that anyone who is having this problem consistently get someone else to enroll their thumb on your phone and then test your print and their print over the next little while (or until one fails) to see if you have the same results I had. It may be a significant key to why some of us TID works for and some of us it doesn't. My nephew, before he broke his phone, had a 5S and he said it worked fine. He works in the oil fields so again heavy construction etc. will make for rough hands.

I don't know what direction to go now. I've covered all the bases that I can think of. I have been invited to phone them at any time but until I have something to say that is important I guess i won't. I'll keep checking this forum to see if any of you can come up with new ideas. We are eliminating some things anyway. It has something to do with some peoples fingers and it is a software issue.

My 5S is less than a month old and has been replaced once at my local Apple store. On both iphones, my touch ID is erratic and degrades with a few hours. On the original phones the Apple technician had me wipe the phone and do a fresh install of a new operating system. This phone, original, continued to fail with print recognition. The second phone's print recognition worked for a few hours, but then went into the same cycle of failure as the first phone. I recently spoke with a Apple technician and it is now recommended that I return my 2nd phone to an Apple store and do another swap-out. Are other people replacing their phones at Apple stores and getting replacements that are also failing?

Yes, you need to read more of this discussion. Lots of us have swapped phones out with Apple retail stores and some like me sent them back to Apple itself and rec'd replacement phones. In my case, back in Dec., they told me it was a hardware problem, hence the phone exchange. As now they say it is a software problem, save yourself some work and just use the phone you have and use the passcode until they get a software update.

doggyluver5 wrote:

I don't know what direction to go now. I've covered all the bases that I can think of. I have been invited to phone them at any time but until I have something to say that is important I guess i won't. I'll keep checking this forum to see if any of you can come up with new ideas. We are eliminating some things anyway. It has something to do with some peoples fingers and it is a software issue.

For those of us who can't get the normal enrollment to last, here's what we could do:

First, shut off the “automatic modification" feature. Now, go into the touch id enrollment setting and create a new finger print. Take the time to add every bit of your print, even the edges. Next, in the finger print list page, audit it to see if it flashes every time you touch the sensor. If not, use the "add to" feature to add more touches to your finger enrollment. Audit it again, and if necessary use the “add to” as many times as needed. Once you get a good print enrollment, start using it. If it stops working, go back in to the settings “add to” screen and add more to the enrollment. Test and “add to” as needed. Repeat this any time it fails, such as immediately after a shower, or during exercise, or if your skin is flaking off. Never delete the print, just add to it. Probably within a week, the print ought to be fully developed enough that it will last for the life of the phone.

If you agree, and if the developers remain befuddled, perhaps you could discuss it with them.

That sounds like it is a plausible idea. However it probably would go over better if you phone or started an online chat with them to tell them. Not only will that give them another direcdtion to go to solve this but it will get thru to them that you are another unhappy customer. The more of us who contact them directly the more pressure they will feel to solve this problem as quickly as possibly.

Paul,

Where is the switch to turn off the "Automatic Modification" feature that you refer to?

Thanks,

David