Touch ID is a unique fingerprint reader technology. It is equipped with such versions of Apple's mobile gadgets as iPhone 5s, iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. According to the manufacturer, this technology is more advanced in the models of the sixth line. However, on the forums, many users often complain that Touch ID is a rather poorly working element in both the first and second versions.
Touch ID is definitely a good idea. And not only in terms of marketing, but also for practical use. With the help of Touch ID, the owner of the iPhone can unlock his device, enter the accounts of some programs on the network, and make a payment using Apple Pay. But this is in the event that the technology functions smoothly, which is not always the case. As with any electronic mechanism, Touch ID sometimes also has problems. How to deal with them? Let's figure it out.
First, if problems were discovered after a recent firmware upgrade to version 9 (or more recent iOS versions), you may need to upgrade. This term refers to a system rollback to a previous version. But if the problems are not so significant, the best solution would be to wait for the next update.
All other problems are often caused by misunderstandings that do not imply anything serious. Therefore, the user can solve most of them on his own without contacting a repair shop. Moreover, there are not so many such problems, and the ways to solve them have long been known. This article will go over each problem and how to solve it in detail.
It often happens that the fingerprint does not work on the iPhone 6 or iPhone 5S. If the system has malfunctions, experts recommend making a simple reconfiguration. In other words, you need to retrain the gadget to recognize the fingerprint. When the first scanners came out, Apple took care of annual software updates for them. This is done so that the devices remember the fingers of their owners as best as possible.
Significant optimization in this area was carried out in the eighth version of the operating system. But as the practical experience of many users has shown, if the print is not regularly refreshed, after about a month, Touch ID will begin to malfunction. The reasons for this are usually the most commonplace, but at their core they are cosmetic in nature (the print is worn out, dry skin of the finger, and similar misunderstandings).
Considering the above, with Touch ID glitches on the iPhone 5S, you need to update the fingerprint in the gadget's memory. But before the procedure, it is necessary to wipe the display surface well and wash your hands. Then you should go to the iPhone settings, and after that - to the Touch ID password section. In this case, the earlier fingerprint must be removed via a swipe, moving along the display from the right side to the left. After this action, you need to click on the button for adding a fingerprint and again carry out the usual operation for entering a fingerprint, in accordance with the instructions.
Touch ID does not work in the App Store
This, like the previous described problem, occurs quite often. And this is usually due to the fact that the scanner does not interact with the App Store. As before, the cause is most often cosmetic factors. But sometimes the problem occurs due to malfunctions of the iPhone 5S software. Many users note that gadgets based on the eighth version of the operating system, or rather, the Touch ID technology in them, does not work in this store.
To solve this problem, you need to follow these steps:
- Click on the settings section, and then on the item Touch ID and password.
- Go to the technology usage section and disable the App Store.
- Reboot the device system.
- Return to original settings, turn on the App Store.
After all the performed actions, the Touch ID bug in the store should be removed automatically. Let us also remind you that if the user has not made purchases in the store during the day, the system will ask for a password when entering it again.
The fingerprint scanner does not work in principle
It so happens that the scanner itself fails, that is, it simply breaks down. Although this happens extremely rarely.
The complete inoperability of the technology after an update can signal a breakdown. In this case, you can try "Hard Reset" by making a backup procedure before that.
But if the problem is iPhone 5S software malfunctioning, a hard reset will usually solve the problem 100%. Otherwise, the user will have to go for repairs, since there is no way to do without competent diagnostics of the device.
Touch ID stops working at low temperatures
According to statistics, glitches in the operation of technology in winter or in cold conditions occur much more often. As always, the explanation for this phenomenon is simple. It's all about changes in the papillary pattern of the fingers, which changes when weather conditions change. It is, of course, not possible to determine such changes by eye. But smart Touch ID detects and crashes right away.
As you might have guessed, this whole thing is also treated through the renewal of the print. But here you can make everything even easier. It is enough to execute and save your "winter" print in the device's memory. To do this, you need to do the procedure as soon as you come from the street, and your fingers are still cold. Although, this is not a guarantee of a successful solution to the problem. According to the owners of iPhones, the above methods do not always cope with the situation.
If the scanner does not work in a dirty or damp environment
There is no need to go into long explanations here. Obviously moisture and dirt are preventing the system from scanning the fingerprint. This refers to the presence of dirt or moisture not only on the finger itself, but also on the surface of the scanner. Therefore, before the operation, you should wash and dry your hands well and gently wipe the scanner with a dry cloth.
But one important point should be remembered: you do not need to keep your hands in water for a long time when washing, since the skin will swell and the papillary pattern will change greatly.
However, Apple guarantees to fans of its products that the new sixth line of gadgets with the S Touch ID marking works more effectively with wet surfaces. But at the same time, the developers still do not recommend using the scanner when your hands are wet.
Breakdowns after repair: causes
In simple terms, in the process of repairing the device, the loop between the Touch ID and the phone board may be damaged. This leads to the fact that the system is no longer able to determine the authenticity of the fingerprint. And after that, the gadget deactivates the biometric sensor. In such a situation, the replacement of individual elements in order to improve the operation of the technology is impossible. The IDs between the Secure Enclave and the third-party sensor will simply not match.
If the loop is completely damaged, then its restoration is an impossible task. The fact is that it includes ten tracks, consisting of several layers. And the thickness of each track is a tenth of a millimeter.
The situation is different with the Home button elements that regulate the process of registering a press. Replacement is not difficult. However, unlocking the device from now on will be available exclusively through a password. It's easy to identify broken Touch ID through settings. To do this, you need to carefully consider the menu for adding new prints. It should be grayed out if there is any problem.
The only way to get a properly functioning sensor based on fingerprint technology is to use elements of another device. This means that you will need to install a new board and a Home button. However, this repair is very expensive for the user. It is advisable in such a situation to purchase a new iPhone. Of course, if Touch ID technology is very important to the user.
The first Apple smartphone with a Touch ID fingerprint scanner was the iPhone 5s, which hit the market back in 2013. Since then, the "apple" corporation has managed to develop and begin to implement the second generation of the fingerprint module, which is distinguished by increased recognition speed and increased reliability. However, problems can occur with any generation of Touch ID, so the edition website decided to talk about five ways that will fix a badly working fingerprint scanner in iPhone and iPad.
Activate Touch ID in iOS Settings
Before starting to look for the cause of the non-working fingerprint scanner in the iPhone and iPad, you should make sure that it is enabled in the settings of the iOS operating system. To do this, you need to launch the "Settings" application, and then go to the "Touch ID and Passcode" section and activate the toggle switches opposite all the parameters associated with this module. If they are already on, then they can be turned off and on again in order to exclude the possibility of some kind of bug.
Clean the module from dirt and dust
Since Touch ID performs a finger scan, it should always be kept clean. Of course, you should not overdo it with cleaning, but dirt and dust can cause poor performance of the entire module and lead to incorrect fingerprint recognition. You can remove dust and dirt from Touch ID with a special electronics cleaning solution. It should be sprayed onto a microfiber cloth and thoroughly clean the entire module for several minutes, and then test its operation.
Update the iOS operating system to the most recent version
Despite the fact that the iPhone and iPad are some of the most reliable mobile devices in the world, the iOS operating system can experience some glitches and glitches. As a result, the Touch ID module may not work quite correctly on certain firmware versions. This issue is resolved by updating the device to the most recent version of iOS, which for sure does not have software problems with Touch ID.
Finger placement when scanning
In some cases, unlocking iPhone and iPad via Touch ID may fail for the simple reason that the fingerprint scanner cannot scan. To help him do this, place the pads of his finger all over the fingerprint scanner. Plus, Touch ID takes a while to scan, so don't take your finger off the scanner too quickly.
Adding additional prints
You can add up to five fingerprints to all iPhones and iPads to unlock your device. Apple does not impose any restrictions on this, so the same finger can be scanned multiple times, thereby increasing the chances of successfully unlocking the device with it.
If all the described methods of solving problems in the operation of Touch ID did not help, then you should think about visiting a service center. It often happens that the fingerprint modules in the iPhone and iPad fail and the only way to solve the problem is to visit the ASC. Note that repair or replacement of Touch ID is possible only at authorized service centers that are able to "tie" the new fingerprint scanner to the old hardware.
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Explained how to use the new feature in iOS 11.
Why Apple Added Disable Touch ID
Apple has once again decided to worry about the safety of its users. The Touch ID quick deactivation feature gives iPhone owners the ability to maximize the protection of their smartphones in case of various emergencies. By blocking Touch ID, the user will exclude the possibility of an attacker gaining access to the iPhone by placing the owners' fingers on the scanner. Of course (and fortunately), such situations rarely arise, but Apple decided to provide for the actions of its customers in them.
Another reason for the appearance of the Touch ID quick disable feature on the iPhone is related to Apple's desire to protect its users from law enforcement. Over the past year, there have been several cases in which police officers literally forced suspects to provide access to their iPhones by scanning their fingerprints.
The loudest of these cases occurred in February. Resident of Norway, suspected of committing a crime, ordered to unlock iPhone via Touch ID. By a court ruling, fingerprint blocking of smartphones was ruled unprotected by the country's constitution. This implies that at the request of the police, any iPhone user is required to unlock their Touch ID-protected smartphone.
Note: This feature only works on iPhones running iOS 11 or later.
In order to disable Touch ID on the iPhone, you must quickly press the "Power" button five times in a row. Successful execution of the operation will display a screen asking you to turn off the iPhone or make an emergency call. At the same time, the function locks Touch ID, informing that a passcode is required to activate the fingerprint scanner. In this case, you can unlock the iPhone only with a password. A similar limitation is imposed on both iOS 11 and previous versions of the operating system after every iPhone restart.
You do not need to make any special settings to enable the function. Moreover, these very settings are not presented in iOS. On the menu " Settings» → « Emergency call - SOS»Users can only activate the option to automatically call the emergency number by pressing the Power button five times and set up emergency contacts. Recent contacts will receive notification messages in case you called emergency services.
Of course, this protection was to the liking of users who immediately began to use all the benefits of "apple products". However, after a while, numerous complaints began to appear on the official Apple technical support site that it was not possible to complete the Touch ID setup. Was such a useful solution completely ineffective? Or can the problem be solved? Let's consider in more detail in the article.
The reasons
There are many factors that can affect smartphone performance. Some associate the failure to complete the Touch ID setup with an updated design of standard applications, new Siri functions, a change in the CarPlay interface, and much more. However, the reasons can be much more trivial than it seems at first glance.
Most often, problems with the scanner appear at low temperatures. In this case, the Touch ID setting cannot be performed due to the fact that the touchscreen is elementary frozen and cannot read the user. In addition, in cold weather, it changes on a person's fingers. Of course, this cannot be seen with the naked eye, but for sensitive technology this is a huge problem. Therefore, if you were unable to complete the Touch ID setup, return to a warm place and try again when the device and your hands are warm.
The second common cause is dirt and moisture. If you try to set up the scanner in the rain or in cloudy weather, when high humidity prevails outside, then most likely it will not work. The same goes for dirty hands. Again, your fingers may look clean on the outside, but this will not be enough for the scanner.
There are, of course, more serious reasons why the Touch ID setup was not complete. Quite often, the problem occurs due to incorrect configuration or a short program crash. Also, the reason may lie in the hardware.
Correct setting
In order for Touch ID to work fully, you need to configure it. To do this correctly, you need to follow these steps:
- Make sure the Home button is clean and free of moisture. At the same time, hands should be dry.
- Go to phone settings and select "Touch ID password". Enter the code combination.
- Press "Add fingerprint" and calmly touch the "Home" button without pressing it too hard.
- Keep your finger still until the device vibrates.
- Repeat the procedure. The finger must be lifted several times and pressed against the button again. In this case, it is recommended to slightly change its position.
- A new menu will appear on the screen where you will be asked to adjust the capture of the print. To do this, you need to take the phone in your hand in the most convenient way and put your finger on the Home button. This procedure is also repeated several times.
If you still cannot complete the Touch ID setup, you can try applying another finger. Or use a different method.
Touch ID recovery
To roll back previous changes and set new parameters, you need to follow these steps:
- Go to the main menu and select "Touch ID password" again.
- Enter the access code and delete the old biometric data.
- Repeat the procedure for adding a "cast".
If after that you still cannot complete the Touch ID setup on the iPhone, then you can try to restore the system through a backup that was previously made in the cloud storage or on a PC. To do this, you need to connect the device to your computer and go to iTunes. Then you just need to click the "Restore" button and select the desired backup date. After recovery, you need to re-enter the biometric data, as described earlier.
If the problem is hardware
If there is a non-software glitch and you cannot complete the Touch ID setup, then the reason may lie in the device itself. The home button loop may have come off. To solve this problem, you need to carefully disassemble the phone. Then you need to disconnect the loop from the button, check if there is any damage on it, and plug it in again. In some situations, this helps to correct the error.
However, without proper experience, it is not worth conducting such experiments. If the user is confident in their abilities, then before performing such operations, it is imperative to save all the data from the smartphone.
If Touch ID stops working in the App Store
Very often, users only notice a problem with the scanner when they enter the official Apple store. However, if the fingerprint is not removed in the App Store, then this may also indicate a problem with the device.
In this case, follow these steps:
- Go to settings and go to "Touch ID password".
- Enter the code and find the Usage section.
- Disable the App Store and iTunes Store in it.
- Reboot the device.
- Go to the settings again and repeat the procedure, only this time the stores must, on the contrary, be activated.
This usually helps to get rid of bugs.
Technical support
If none of the above helps, don't despair. Experienced Apple support professionals can help you figure out why you're having trouble completing your Touch ID setup. To do this, you need to go to the official website of the company and create a corresponding ticket. Or you can search in the questions already asked. Most likely, the site has a large number of discussion threads with similar problems. If the consultants offer to do everything that has already been announced, then all that remains is to go to the service center and try to diagnose the device. Before that, it is worth copying all the data from the phone again.
Touch ID is an excellent technology developed by Apple to improve the security of user data on Apple devices. Apple has integrated a fingerprint scanner into the Home button on iPhone and iPad, which allows you to identify the real user of the device without having to enter a password. At the same time, identification is used not only to unlock the device, but also when entering various applications, paying for purchases in online stores and in a host of other situations.
But no technology is perfect, including Touch ID. Users may encounter an error when trying to use the fingerprint scanner again “Failure. I can't complete the Touch ID setup. Come back and try again "... In English, this error reads as follows: “Failed. Unable to complete Touch ID setup "... Faced with such a problem, it will take some effort to fix it, and in this article we will look at the main ways to do it.
Updating fingerprints in Touch ID
Quite often, the “Can't complete Touch ID setup” error occurs after updating your device. Apple regularly releases new versions of firmware for iPhone and iPad, but their installation does not always go without errors and problems. If after downloading and installing a new version of the software, you have a problem with Touch ID, try the following:
After completing all of the above steps, the "Can't complete Touch ID setup" error should no longer be a concern.
What to do if updating fingerprints doesn't help
If you followed the instructions described above, but did not get rid of the problem in question, there are some more tips on how to fix the error:
If none of the above methods helped to fix the situation, you can try to wait until Apple releases a new firmware version and install it, it is possible that this will fix the problem. Another way is this.
It is worth noting that if you contact the official Apple service center with this problem, you can hear the answer that this is a hardware malfunction. If the phone is under warranty, Apple will repair the device free of charge (replace the Home button) or exchange it for a new one. That is why it is not recommended to try to disassemble the device on your own and try to "fix the Home button loop", which is advised to do when the error "Cannot complete the Touch ID setup" by various "craftsmen" occurs.
