Q: Touch ID being Erratic

I have a new iPhone 5s with newest iOS. I too have major problems with fingerprint. I have recorded my thumb print several times. It only works about 1 out if 10 tries. I am at a loss.

FWIW, I think there are several different issues here:

1.   Some people (I suspect very few overall) may have defecive hardware. For example if you cannot even register your prints then that suggests the hardware is defective and you need a replacement.

2.    Some people are not registering their prints optimally. Things improved hugely for me when I changed the way I registered my prints as per advice on this forum and elsewhere.

3.    Some people may not be ensuring they are making good contact with the metal ring around the home button when registering or, more likely, when unlocking. Good contact on the metal ring is essential.

4.    The 7.0.3 update seems to have improved things considerably for many folk, for unknown reasons.

But having said all that, some people are still having issues. In my case things are pretty okay now but I do still see a degradation of recognition of the print I use most often to unlock. Interestingly i do not see a degradation in the other prints I have registered but which I hardly ever use. This leads me to consider a 5th factor:

Apple have stated in a few places that 'TouchID gets better the more you use it'. This suggests to me that it incldues some 'learning' algorithms that dynamically modify recognition as you use it more and more. I suspect that there is some flaw in this algorithm such that for some subset of users (myself included) rather than getting better with more use it actually gets worse. This would explain my experience where:

a)    Prints that work perfectly across a wide range of angles/parts of the fingr tip immediately after registering become much less reliable over time (assuming they are being used a lot).

b)    Prints that work fine after registering but which are then barely used continue to work just fine. Presumably if they were used a lot they too would degrade.

If this theory, and it is just a theory, is correct then this is a software issue and it is very likely that Apple will address it in an upcoming update. Especially if we all leave feedback regarding this issue.

I have to say that though I do still see some degradation in recognition reliability for my main print (right thumb) over time, TouchID is still very usable for me and I find it a great convenience. Even with this issue it is still far more reliable for me than any other fingerprint recognition technology I have used in the past and it is a safe bet that it will only get better as Apple refines it.

Good points RE "better over time". However, I've had little used prints using a fingertip fail, where my goto finger, registered far longer, works fine still. Without details from Apple (which we'll never get) how their algorithm works, it's daunting.

I just did a test where I know the position was correct, yet an initial home button push, leaving the finger rest to unlock, failed, requiring me to lift and replant it. So the test was, sleep mode, place the finger correctly, and hit wake/sleep. Results were instant unlock.  I'm leaning more towards any slight finger movement during a scan can that scan to fail.

Where does one leave feedback? TIA

http://www.apple.com/feedback/

Apparently they do monitor this and take notice; though they are unlikely to reply personally.

Add me to the list. Works great for about an hour, then only about 40% of the time after that. Deleted prints a few times, tried again. Same thing each time. For about an hour or so I can put my thumb or finger in most positions and it will work first time. After a while it stops working. Today, two days after the previous re-registration of prints, it's about 1 in 5 attempts.

Question for anyone that has taken their phone to the store and got it replaced for this issue (or anyone that knows the answer), did you get a brand new phone or do they give you a "re-manufactured" replacement phone?

I think it's impossible to tell, but they're essentially the same thing. FWIW, I would think that the chances of getting a new one this soon after release are quite good, because there are probably few refurbs.

ChrisJenkins wrote:

 

FWIW, I think there are several different issues here:

 

 

Apple have stated in a few places that 'TouchID gets better the more you use it'. This suggests to me that it incldues some 'learning' algorithms that dynamically modify recognition as you use it more and more. I suspect that there is some flaw in this algorithm such that for some subset of users (myself included) rather than getting better with more use it actually gets worse. This would explain my experience where:

Where did you read that? I don't see how that could be -- training occurs initially, and thereafter if recognition "works," there's nothing more to learn.

In the Touch ID video at:  http://www.apple.com/iphone-5s/videos/#video-touch

Dan Riccio states:  “Every time you use it it gets better at reading your prints”

In the detailed article on Touch ID at:   http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5949

in the second section ‘Advanced technologies’ it states:

"Touch ID will incrementally add new sections of your fingerprint to your enrolled fingerprint data to improve matching accuracy over time."

I had the same problem - I'm posting what I did today, which seems to have fixed it (after being very frustrated with many re-enrollments).

When I got my new 5S I restored it straight away from my old iPhone backup.  The TouchID successes were about 50%.  I was so fed up with putting in my passcode (after TouchID failing) I rang up customer services this morning - their suggestion (before going any further):

• Backup iPhone.
• Wipe iPhone and test the hardware "As a new phone" (as per these instructions: iOS: How to back up your data and set up your device as a new device )
• Call back if it still doesn't work

I wiped the iPhone and tested a vanilla phone.  It seemed to work better (and even unlocked reliably upside down).

I wiped the iPhone again and then instead of "Setting up a new Phone", I restored from my iPhone backup.

I re-enrolled two of my fingers in the newly restored iPhone, I've been locking/unlocking it repeatedly at various orientations and it has not failed yet.

The above process is the first thing they will ask you to do if you call up support - so far TouchID seems much more reliable than before (and I'm surprised a reinstall has been useful).

I thought I'd post what I've been through to see if it helps anyone. Here are my steps/observations:

• I did NOT opt to try for a hardware replacement since success seemed to be intermittent with them.
• I had tried erasing and restoring from a backup, which didn't seem to help.
• iOS 7.0.3 did not make a noticable difference.
  
• In the past I had noticed more success with scanning the "middle" of my thumb as opposed to the tip (what I would normally use to click the home button).
  

After 7.0.3 came out, I did two scans of the same thumb. The first, the middle of the thumb, seemed to provide me with a relatively good success rate. I then did a second scan of the same thumb, focusing more on the tip. Since having both scans I am MUCH more satisfied with the results and seem to have almost no failures. I also feel like I don't have to be as exact with how/where I place my thumb to unlock.

If you're having trouble, I'd definitely recommend trying a 2 scan method using different areas of your finger.

I think I found MY error. The "click" of the home button and the read of the fingerprint are TWO INDEPENDENT ACTIONS. I found that I get 100% success if I rest my finger lightly on the sensor AFTER the click that turns on the device. The fingerprint read takes a couple of seconds (or so it seems). Previously, I thought the "click" was the only significant action. The two step thinking seems to resolve my issue. So: CLICK, REST and wait.

slewis wrote:

 

I wiped the iPhone and tested a vanilla phone.  It seemed to work better (and even unlocked reliably upside down).

 

I wiped the iPhone again and then instead of "Setting up a new Phone", I restored from my iPhone backup.

 

I re-enrolled two of my fingers in the newly restored iPhone, I've been locking/unlocking it repeatedly at various orientations and it has not failed yet.

 

The above process is the first thing they will ask you to do if you call up support - so far TouchID seems much more reliable than before (and I'm surprised a reinstall has been useful).

I'm ready to believe that wiping and setting up as a new phone solved the issue for you, but the fact that then wiping again and restoring from your backup also worked suggests that you did a better job with the fingerprint registration this time -- otherwise it makes no sense.

In my experience, Apple support will always tell customers to wipe and set their iPhones up as new phones -- regardless of whether it makes any sense