Touch ID stops working after a few hours of capturing a fingerprint

The solution that worked for me was done in the following steps:

1. Reset touch id

2. Unlock your phone using the fingerprint scan for a couple times (Every successful scan adds data to your phone so that it will work better the next time around.)

3. Go to your settings and access the Touch ID section.

4. After entering your passcode, place your finger on the hone button until you see the Fingerprint button change from white to gray. (See picture below, note the fingerprint labeled “Right”)

5. Keep doing this as if you were setting up a new fingerprint. Make sure to get the edges of your finger, the center, and do this at least 5 times.

Doing so will get your phone used to your fingerprint. As you successfully use your fingerprint (through the app store, unlocking your phone, etc), this adds more data to your phone and allows it to recognize your finger better than the last time you used it.

Tip:

Do not delete your fingerprint if the steps above did not help. Simply type in your passcode and repeat steps 3-5 again and then unlock your phone again. Data needs to be accumulated!! Deleting it will erase all the effort your poor phone did to recognize your finger.

Sorry about the inconvience, this solution worked for me and I still have my Touch ID after 3 weeks of using this method. There may be something wrong with your phone itself, if not, then you may want to continue this process for a few days. The method only started working for me after about 3 days of doing the same process.

Be sure your fingers are dry and free from oils. Same for the Home button. Do the same when capturing your fingerprint.

I have exactly the same problem with an iPhone 5c. I have tried using another finger with same result. I've given p and now only use the Passcode.

I just posted a similar issue with my new 5s/32 today and the fix Apple Care gave me the first time was to restore the iPhone to factory settings.

Then re-enter the fingerprints along with everything else that has to be re-entered (big headache).

A restore from backup through iTunes will not help one bit and I do like the fingerprint access to the iPhone instead of punching in the passcode (which is required after a cold shut down at any circumstance).

Hence I almost always leave the iPhone on 24 hours a day and keep charging it up every two or three days (Battery Doctor on the iTunes app store is a good one to have and has great battery tips on it).

MY FIX .. or really a work around so far.. is to re-enter in two more fingerprints into the #3 and #4 slots ... as the #1 and #2 fingerprints are still in there (Settings > Touch ID & Passcode) but are not recognized for use.

See how long that lasts (seems to lose the fingerprints every 5 weeks).

I am hoping that the problem is with iTunes as I updated an app last night and this morning lost the fingerprint data.

I would further recommend that you TURN OFF in the Touch ID & Passcode, the iTunes authorization for the fingerprint scan.

Just keep the authorization of the fingerprint to unlock your iPhone.

That might be the problem ... is iTunes in making the fingerprint lose function.

I hope so anyway.

If it was iOS software that would be more global in effecting millions of iPhone owners and I can not technically sort out how data is lost because of a hardware problem. The iPhone tells you when the fingerprint is in the iOS memory after some effort to get it in there.

Apple Care wants me to take the iPhone into the Apple Store for the Genius to make an examination but that is booked up 4 days in advance in the nearest Apple Store to me in Silicon Valley.

With almost 200 Apple stores world wide and if every one of them has 4 days of customers looking to have the Genius work their iPhone that is 800 man days of back log times 8 iPhones a day on the low side .. or 6,000 iPhones needing a look see. Not bad considering there are 50 million iPhones out there. Still it is a headache.

Apparently they only have one iMac working the Genius to take care of the customers in line at this one store and they will not Genius the diagnostics over the internet though my USB port.

I live 2 hours away (@ 70 mph highway speed) from the Apple Store so that is hard to make happen right now in matching our calendars for me to take one whole day to run diagnositcs.

I have always had Touch ID turned off for iTunes authorization but still get the problem. However I do have it turned on for 1Password, so following your theme maybe it is something to do with other apps? Also my Touch ID only lasts a few days if that.

I have two Touch IDs created for each thumb, and have today created a third for a finger. Will report back in due course.

For something over a week my Touch ID has continued to work for my index finger as mentioned in my post of June 18. I have left the two thumb ID there so this is the third so whether it is the same solution as mention by cub cougar I don't know. Not keen to touch anything!!!

😕

I have deleted #1 and #2 finger print scans ... then re-entered the same finger prints again into the same memory slots of #1 and #2.

I lost them both of them ... one after the other about 10 days apart.

For me this always happens (discovery) when the iPhone is plugged into the USB chain on the iMac (charging, update apps, make new backup, any new music, etc).

I just can not figure it out, as iTunes print authorization is off .. and it still happens.

Answer the phone while it is on the USB, check charge, work iTunes, what ever .. and that is when it happens to me .. so far any way.

The fingerprint authorization was working 5 minutes before on the road and for weeks prior on and off the USB ... then poof .. it is not working when I get it home and on the USB for the next access moment.

I have a #3 finger print in memory that I am using now and I am keeping the #1 and #2 in there that do not work to show the Genius at the Apple Store when I go in for my appointment.

But so far ... the work around of delete the old fingerprints and re-enter the same finger prints again into memory is tiresome but gets the job done for a while.

It is really nice to touch the iPhone once to answer it instead of using the necessary pass code ... which I also want as it hopefully makes it less of a rip off item to jump the border illegally.

Following your instructions nothing happens after entering passcode and holding home button