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Level 2

185 points

Unable to activate Touch ID on iPhone

My Touch ID is not working on my Iphone 6s, I did everything suggested on the net how to resolve it but to no avail. I tried several forced power of and restart but still the prompt out message "unable to activate touch id on this phone" come out. My ios is updated to 10.2. Also noticed that my 100% battery is fast to drain than to my usual usage. I need an immediate reply from this problem as it make me unease on this regard. I searched for an answer but i read thousands of complaints but has no confirmed solution. Does Apple did some action to this? Are waiting to come up this problem to international television? Do a reliable answer as soon as possible.

[Re-Titled by Host]

iPhone 6s, iOS 10.2

Posted on Jan 4, 2017 9:33 PM

Best reply

Alwayswantingtohelp1

Community Specialist

Posted on Jan 6, 2017 7:02 AM

Hello DAD29,
Thank you for using Apple Support Communities.

I understand from your post that the Touch ID on your iPhone 6s is showing an error message saying "unable to activate Touch ID on this phone" and your battery is draining quicker than it normally does. I know how important it is for your Touch ID to be working properly for you and for your battery to last throughout the day. Please follow the steps below to address your Touch ID issue.

Use Touch ID on iPhone and iPad

Make sure that you have the latest version of iOS.

Make sure that your fingers and the Home button are clean and dry.1 For the Home button, use a clean, lint-free cloth to wipe off any dirt or debris.

Your finger should cover the Home button completely, touching the surrounding metal ring. While Touch ID is scanning, you shouldn't tap too quickly or move your finger around.

If you're using a case or screen protector, make sure it doesn't cover the Home button or the surrounding ring.

Go to Settings > Touch ID & Passcode and make sure that iPhone Unlock or iTunes & App Store is on, and that you've enrolled one or more fingerprints.

Try enrolling a different finger.

If you can't enroll any of your fingers, take your device to an Apple Retail Store or Apple Authorized Service Provider, or contact Apple Support.

Regarding your battery depleting faster than normal, I recommend checking the battery usage and using the tips in the following articles:

About the battery usage on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch
Maximizing Battery Life and Lifespan

Best Regards.

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48 replies

Mufaya

Level 1

4 points

Aug 5, 2017 10:50 PM in response to DAD29

Am using an iPhone 6 and it has started giving me the error of unable to complete Touch ID and when I read some solutions it is still giving me the same thing and when I turn it on it's saying unable to activate Touch ID on this phone. How do I fix it

Sep 12, 2017 8:49 AM in response to IdrisSeabright

Problem Solved. just do a force reset by pressing the wake/sleep key & Home button for up to 15 seconds then release until you see the apple logo. the next boot up will show you "ID requires when restart" and go to settings you'll find your registered fingerprints.

Nov 2, 2017 7:40 AM in response to Juber pathan

I had the same issue two weeks back. I contacted Apple support for help, based on their suggestions, I have tried all the options, but nothing helped. Finally visited apple store and the support engineer did complete erase of firmware and IOS. Then the problem is resolved.

I didn’t restore my configuration backup. It is ok for 2 weeks now. My phone is 6s plus. Problem started all of a sudden one day with iOS 11.0.2.

Yesterday night I happened to see the same issue again but it is automatically started working today.

Nov 24, 2017 6:42 PM in response to KiltedTim

Yes, I am sure that is what is must be. Over 2200 people who have posting about the same problem are having the same exact hardware issue. Your first response then is to insult their intelligence. For “goodness’s sake” please, please, grow up.

Nov 25, 2017 12:09 PM in response to Benninglong

Over 2200 people have not posted in this thread saying they have this problem. That number of people have clicked a button saying they have the same question as the OP. That means that we know that they are interested in the question. And nothing else. However, given the number of iPhones with TouchID that are currently in use, I wouldn't be surprised if that number is well with in the statistically expected number to currently be having hardware problems.

What Kilted Tim pointed out is true: "If" this is a hardware issue that someone is having, waiting for an update is pointless. There is nothing insulting about that suggestion.

kleole

Level 1

4 points

Nov 28, 2017 1:01 AM in response to DAD29

I had the exact same problem for some days.

My Touch ID was already not working, but when I updated to the latest beta version I started getting this "Unable to activate Touch ID" message and my battery started draining like crazy, even when I was on airplane mode.

As an Engineer, my guess is that the new iOS is constantly trying to activate the Touch ID, ending up being in a repeated loop, where the Touch ID can not be activated and the home button overheats, leading to extreme usage of battery power.

I tried many things and finally I found a solution for my phone.

I made a rollback to the latest stable iOS version and now my battery life is back to normal.

Dec 12, 2017 12:58 PM in response to aagrawal28

aagrawal28 wrote:

I am having the same problem. It was working fine and suddenly it started showing me the error. Looking for a response from apple. I have a iphone 6. version 11.12

If you are looking for a response from Apple, you will need to let Apple know you have a problem. Either make an appointment at the Genius Bar at your local Apple Store or use the Contact Support link at the top right of every page of these forums.

This is a user-to-user support forum. Apple's participation here is minimal.

Dec 27, 2017 9:22 AM in response to kleole

As many other pple is facing the same problem. i had the same issue of error message saying Unable to activate touch id on this iPhone and the battery is drainage like crazy since update new iOS 10 and now 11.2 still having the same problem not resolve. i thought it could be battery wearing out.

pls share with me how did you rollback the iOS ?

thk you

Apr 7, 2017 6:19 PM in response to DAD29

Did you already get the solution? I'm facing the same problem right now.

May 7, 2017 6:36 PM in response to DAD29

MY ID TOUCH DOESNT WANT TONWORK ON MY IPHONE

KiltedTim

Level 10

196,167 points

May 9, 2017 3:29 AM in response to anaaa

Make an appointment at the genius bar and take it in to have it checked. That's most likely a hardware problem. There are no magic words that can overcome a hardware problem.