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Joe_Fo Author

Level 1

30 points

Having problems with Touch ID failing? Read this for help

Fingerprint registration guide: (updated 11/27/2013)

Please note that this guide should only be used if you experience Touch ID (TID) failing to work reliably hours or days after initially setting it up. Updates to this guide will be made as required.

Many Touch ID problems can be resolved by changing the way fingerprints are initially Enrolled.

Please look through the thread for any additional info. Please try these suggestions before posting to the thread. Thanks.

General info can be found in the Apple iPhone User Guide (PDF).

Other threads you may find helpful:

5s Fingerprint unlock problem solved

Touch ID being Errat

Touch ID not working when iPhone goes to sleep with Twitter is the active app

Make sure you're using the latest IOS, currently 7.0.4 as of 11/27/2013

Only Enroll (register) a given finger once. Make sure to delete it first if already registered. There's no need to record multiples of the same finger.

Don't "roll" the finger when registering as if making ink fingerprints on paper; It's not the same thing.

Keep your thumb or finger as flat as possible. Don't bend at the first joint. Make sure you're covering the outer home button ring fully.

Start the first register scan in the centerline of the finger, almost at the base of the nail, slightly towards the tip of the finger.

I make a total of 10 scans in 3 rows, 3 columns, and finally one last scan dead center of the 9.

Make three scans: finger center, left of center and right of center before starting to scan forward towards the fingertip.

With each scan, move slightly left and right, but not so far that the centerline of the finger moves off of the sensor. The idea is to keep a known, already scanned, "landmark" on the sensor with each scan during registration.

After the three scans in the first "row" are complete, move back to the centerline and slightly forward towards the tip to scan the second row, again moving only slightly, keeping the top portion of the last centerline scan on the sensor.

When prompted to "Adjust Your Grip" do not follow the on-screen display of the example finger position. You will find over time that it will fail. At this point, you can hit "back". You do not have to scan additional areas or wait for the "complete" message.

In no case should you bother with the very tip of the finger as I believe it's unreliable for those of us who have problematic fingers.

Don't exert a lot of pressure during the scan. Not too hard, not too soft.

Completely lift the finger straight up after the each training scan, move to the next spot, and place it straight down without sliding around or moving once you make contact. Lift your finger only after the phone vibrates.

This should give you a good starting point.

Using TID to unlock:

Keep the finger as flat as it was during registration using the center of the registered area. Briefly press the home button to wake the phone up, and ease up pressure while keeping the finger in full contact with the ring. If it fails to unlock, which it may if there was movement during the release, lift your finger and place it back down, making sure you are in the area you registered.

Bugs:

This guide does not address IOS components that are responsible for handling screen and home button operations from crashing or going brain-dead, most notably, but not limited to, having Twitter as the active app when the scree lock activates. This can cause TID to fail to read a registered finger, It will appear as if it's not even sensing that a finger is on the home button! This should be an easy S/W fix however, but is still "broken" in 7.0.4.

One workaround when this happens is to pull the Control Panel up from the lock screen, start then close the calculator. This action "resets" the focus back to the fingerprint sensor, and it should now work. Failing that, just enter your passcode and you should be back to normal again.

-Joe

iPhone 5s

Posted on Nov 27, 2013 3:27 PM

65 replies

Joe_Fo Author

Level 1

30 points

Mar 13, 2014 8:16 AM in response to Joe_Fo

Joe_Fo wrote:

[snip]

BTW, I have used the "angled finger" as Apple shows in their example. something that always failed within a few hours for me, and while it worked initially, and still does for my primary thumb, I just checked my other thumb and the angled tip is not working.

[snip]

Update: creeping up on the failed angled tip to "retrain" the failed angled thumb brought it back. Not done from the fingerprint add screen; Just using the sleep/wake button with small movements on the home button starting from a working area and moving towards the tip, and finally to an angled tip. Took about 10 cycles, maybe about 15 seconds or so. Hardly jumping through hoops...

An old observation seems to still be true, that is, use it or lose it. Will try alternating through all fingers over time and not just my primary.

FWIW.

Mar 16, 2014 11:34 AM in response to Joe_Fo

I really believe this is not a function so much of how the prints are registered, though that might help/hurt a bit, but it appears that it's really how the Iphone updates or "learns" or corrupts the prints over time. Otherwise people would start having problems immediately, and that's not the case from what I've experience and read.

For example I can register my index and thumb on both hands and right after doing it, they all work perfect the first time, no issues, all different orientations, etc. However, 3 days later 3 of the 4 no longer work. One thing I've noticed is that I use my right index finger the most, and it always works longer than the others. That almost suggests to me that for some reason over time even if you don't use say your left thumb the software corrupts the registered print, the fingers you use more often are more likely to be "updated" or modified correctly. It's also possible that the print recognition is just too "touchy" and for users who's prints change more than others the software just refused to recognise them anymore, and perhaps isn't learning enough on frequently used prints.

This might also indicate that even if you don't use a particular finger the software is degrading/modifing the print over time, which may also mean that if you only register the finger you use most it might last longer (though someone has probably tried this).

It makes me wonder that if you unlock the phone a few times a day with every finger you register if it will do a better job of not corrupting the prints over time.

Mar 20, 2014 5:08 AM in response to Charybdisc

Update: I've had continued success for a week now and have also added two additional fingers and they still all work.

Oct 28, 2014 1:24 AM in response to Joe_Fo

One thing I've noticed is that the hand soap that I use seems to have something to do with it. TID would only work if I'd wipe the sensor before, and I thought it was a faulty sensor. I enrolled someone else's fingerprint, and it worked no problem. I have a lotion type hand soap, but after I switched to a regular bar soap, it seems to work better.

Jan 3, 2015 10:04 AM in response to R C-R

I have the same problem. Works great initially then recognition gradually gets worse until less than 24 hours later it does not work at all. iPhone 6 Plus purchased less than a month ago. Have also tried all of the workarounds - wipe reinstall, reset, multiple copies of the same finger. That did bring to light that the decay of recognition is per print. Each one decays at the same rate from the time it was entered. So the first one entered stops working but the second one lasts another couple of hours. This is even for two copies of the same finger.

If there IS a physical characteristic that makes some people unable to use TouchID, then why not publicize it so that they are not purchasing a phone to get Touch ID and Apple Pay and THEN finding out that it does not work? Couldn't Apple stores have sensors in them that you could try, to determine if you can use Touch ID? Do a search on Touch ID in Apple's forums. There are hundreds of messages about problems. I wish this issue had gotten more exposure before I purchased my phone.

Having problems with Touch ID failing? Read this for help