Q: Touch ID being Erratic
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Dec 17, 2013 8:14 AMby smilleresq,Frankswan wrote:
From my experience I would say the positioning of my thumb has to be exact or it won't work.
It definitely works better when indoors with my hands warm.
However, sometimes finding the sweet spot is close to impossible such that it might appear that TID completely failed. Also, the fact that more precision with finger placement is required over time for TID to work contradicts having TID scan the "edges" when initially setting it up, which is supposed to allow for less precise placement.
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Dec 17, 2013 2:47 PMby Joe_Fo,Joe_Fo wrote:
[snip]
Yesterday I removed my leather Apple case added to my one right thumb enrolled in the video Dec 1.
1. Added 12/1 Right thumb with case installed.
2. Added 12/12 Left thumb, no case following my method, no "angled" tip.
3. Added 12/13 early AM: Left thumb, my method but included angled tip.
4. Added 13/13 late afternoon: Right index, including angled tip.
Results late 12/13 afternoon unlock and TID Add a Fingerprint tested:
1. Right thumb still okay.
2. Fails unless very precisely placed. Worked however early 12/13.
3. Total failure,
4. Too early to tell after 30 minutes still okay.
Was using waze and pc2me this afternoon. No clue if that had an effect on 2 and 3 failures.
4 days later update. I am more convinced now than ever that enrolling more than one finger causes problems. I stuck a little longer with 1-4 above instead of going back to my one right thumb, and can now report:
1. My "golden" right thumb now working for a very small area only vs the at least 1 month when it was the only enrollment.
2. No change since results on 12/13 afternoon above.
3. Still total failure.
4. Angled tip slowly failed from right, center and finally left side. Certer meaty section reduced in area with only dead center of area working, and even then a very small length.
BTW, my wife's TID, with my method and only her right thumb, still working fine.
Going to delete all and redo just one.
BTW, I did put my case back on as this is a slippery little devil without it.
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Dec 17, 2013 2:50 PMby Joe_Fo,claude16 wrote:
[snip]
I have not found yet the way to avoid SIRI pop up if I leave my index just a little too long time on the scanner. Usually I get the icons screen directly.
Depressing the home button as fast as possible and leaving finger resting on button works better.
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Dec 17, 2013 3:17 PMby Joe_Fo,ShrinkRap wrote:
What is the calculator trick? Somehow I missed that one...
It's been talked about in this mega page thread several times, but I don't recall the dates.
It's .
Note that it is not only Twitter that can cause the bug to surface. Also, this is only a temp cure for when TID goes brain-dead (oh wait, a search term! It's on this page and earlier pages) as in it does nothing at all, as if your finger is not on the home button. Nada. Pulling the calculator up from the control panel and closing it resets something and TID will work again.
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Dec 17, 2013 3:35 PMby Joe_Fo,bobcrossley wrote:
Three days without any case and now three with the Apple case back on. My Joe-Fo thumb working still but only if I get it spot on. My Apple thumb exactly the same. Both still working after six days. Both work in any orientation but only if I get them spot on the centre whorl ( presumably the most distinctive part of my fingerprint ) it's annoying the edges seem to fade.
Does the scanner update each time it is used as it seems to learn after a few false starts each morning?
Yes, it still learns as of 7.0.4, weeks later, at least as far as I've seen. Don't know if there's a point at which it stops trying to "learn". My guess is, with the changes fingers can go through, Apple coded the S/W to never stop learning. This is the main reason I've been saying only one finger should be enrolled, and only one instance of it. If it wants to mixup finger data between fingers, which I believe it might do, hance the failures over time, there's little chance of confusion when only one finger is enrolled.
Hopefully they get it fixed soon...
I outlined how to prove the learning process works somewhere in this thread if you feel like trying to find it.
It's actually a process talked about for a while now. Basically, from the TID add a fingerprint screen, touch your failing finger on the button and slowly branch out in small steps, making sure the finger entry highlights. I'd recommend keeping within the same area you first enrolled the finger with, assuming you're following my method.
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Dec 17, 2013 3:42 PMby Joe_Fo,smilleresq wrote:
[snip]
I think there maybe something to both these points (or maybe something else, who the **** [he double hockey sticks] knows) because I performed a little experiment with my phone because I am again having TID failure within 24 hours after scanning a fingerprint irrespective of the methond in which I scan the print (sorry, Joe_Fo).
[snip]
Curious: Was this done with only one finger enrolled, and the other 4 slots empty?
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Dec 17, 2013 8:03 PMby Dreanmachine1,I had nothing to lose. Griswaldo4g had a theory on static electricity causing havoke. I reviewed his YouTube video and decided to experiment. I will outline what I did below, but first I wanted to state that I am on 48 hours of experimentation and I registered both thumbs the Apple way. Maybe 50 TID attempts in the last 48 hours, using both thumbs fairly evenly. Zero failures. I mean zero, with sometimes not so great of a positioning of my thumbs on the home button. Before this, as I had previously posted, I was having more significant failures no matter what I did. Something is making sense here for me on Griswaldo4G's conjecture. Here is what I did in the spirit of his YouTube video approach:
1. I took my rubber/plastic case off. I did not take my screen protector off. This was not an option for me. The protector is a glass type product and it covers pretty tight around the home button.
2. I deleted all my current finger prints.
3. I washed my hands up good and waited for complete dryness.
4. I stepped onto tile flooring and touched metal with both hands, grounding adequately.
5. I then registered both thumbs, mainly following the Apple recommendation through both phases.
6. Over the next 24 hours, I tried to be diligent in touching metal, or getting off carpet before I attempted TID engagement. I had to pay attention where I was when it was time to open the home screen through TID.
7. I never had one failure doing this timeframe, using both thumbs. After 36 hours, I put my same case back on. As Griswaldo4G alludes to in his video, it may appear that 'training' the TID without static electricity conditions (or at least diminished conditions) could give it a good and sound 'memory', even when grounding no longer occurs after the 24-36 hour period. I open it up now on carpet, and no longer touching metal, and still perfecto.
The TID engagement for the first time feels robust and trustworthy to me. I hope it will keep working and I will report back if it takes a dive. But very promising thus far.
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Dec 18, 2013 4:56 AMby Dreanmachine1,9 hours later. Phone wakes up perfectly in the morning, no problem. I am on a recumbent bike exercising right now and to kill time, I am opening the phone with TID while alternating both thumbs. I am a bit sweaty on my fingers after about 48 minutes of exertion. TID still flawless with 5 attempts with each thumb.
The wife is going to try the same experiment with her phone during the holiday break. I will report her experience.
One thing to add to my laundry list of procedures I followed. After cleaning and drying hands and before new registrations, took a lint free cloth and lightly polished down the home button.
Just opened phone 8 more times with the thumbs on the home button using more of the tips. Still fast and perfect. Something has definitely changed on my system. All I can say is wow right now. Will keep updating if it is of worth to the community.
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Dec 18, 2013 5:35 AMby Joe_Fo,Dreanmachine1 wrote:
9 hours later. Phone wakes up perfectly in the morning, no problem.
[snip]
Something has definitely changed on my system. All I can say is wow right now. Will keep updating if it is of worth to the community.
Please do. Thinking about Apple mentioning pores being distinguishable in the scan, I'm open to the clean sensor idea. Specks of dust or powedered sugar from that doughnut you're no doubt going to grab after 48 minutes on the bike could be added to the model and over time, and, who knows... (Doughnut comment meant to make me feel better about myself after wondering if I even remember what exercise equipment is )
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Dec 18, 2013 11:18 AMby wombatsignals,I have also been plagued by Touch ID problems - essentially the same symptoms as everybody else on this thread. Touch ID would not work after 2 or 3 days.
I eventually deleted all my prints and reset my phone. Actually, the first time I did this the phone resprung by itself so I'm pretty sure something was corrupt. Anyways, the second time I deleted all prints and hard reset the phone myself by long pressing home and sleep buttons. I added just one thumb print afterwards and it has been working very well for the last 3 days. I am scared to add more prints because that might corrupt the first print. I am hoping 7.1 comes out soon and fixes this problem!
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Dec 19, 2013 7:05 AMby Frankswan,Well after working for just over 2 weeks with thumb installed as per Joe Fo the touch id started to take more and more tries. Today it only worked once in twenty.
I reinstalled my thumb and it works first time every time today. Surely this must be the software?
Something Apple should sort out pronto as a lot of us have upgraded to get this touch id.
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Dec 19, 2013 8:48 AMby bobcrossley,I have two thumbs ;-) A joe Fo and an Apple! Both still working after four weeks. After the initial shrinking of the active area they seem fairly stable but I do have to refresh them in the mornings by dabbing the scanner several times (in the general settings ) starts of with about 1 in 5 being successful ends up for the rest of the day at about 4 in 5 working.
I am not pleased with Apple - most people are not disposed to keep experimenting - a company that got its reputation for "it just works", is throwing away it's advantage. This is the third serious problem with iPhones.
