How do I fix Touch ID? If you can't get access to your iOS device or Mac with Touch ID, try these troubleshooting tips!
Updated February 2017 to add new Touch ID information and update troubleshooting photos.
Touch ID is Apple's fingerprint identity sensor. It allows you to unlock your device, log in to apps, use Apple Pay, and make purchases from the App Store and iTunes by touching and briefly holding your finger against the sensor. When it works, it's magical, and you want it everywhere - your car, your house, your yacht, your one-man rocket to Mars. When it doesn't, you want to throw your iPhone (or Mac) across the room.
What can make Touch ID failures even more frustrating is figuring out why they're failing. From the outside it seems like the stereotypical black box. A fingerprint goes in and then it either works or doesn't, and if it doesn't, there's no way for us to see what went wrong, why, or how to fix it. Maddening.
There are, however, some things you can do to make it work better and more often.
How does Touch ID work?
On an iOS device, there's a capacitive ring around the Touch ID sensor; on the new MacBook Pro, the entire Touch ID sensor is capacitive. When the sensor detects a finger, it triggers a high-resolution image capture. That image is converted into a mathematical representation, which is then sent through the hardware channel to a secure enclave. If the representation matches what's stored in the enclave, a "yes" token is released and the Touch ID action is authenticated. If not, a "no" token is released, all you get is a digital head shake. Every time Touch ID scans a finger and recognizes it, it adds additional detail to the representation, theoretically to make it register even faster and better in the future.
Troubleshooting trippy Touch ID authentication
Here are a few tips and tricks to try if you're experiencing Touch ID issues:
- During the registration process, make sure you move your finger around enough that the entire surface gets scanned during the first stage, and then every edge gets scanned during the second phase.
- Any sweat or liquid on your finger at all can interfere with the scan. Wipe both your finger and the Home button off and dry them completely before using Touch ID.
- The sequential improvement process can sometimes go off-track (i.e. instead of getting better, an error can occur and it can get worse). When that starts to happen, delete the fingerprint and re-register.
- On an iOS device, make sure your finger is touching the capacitive metal ring and the Home button.
- Touch ID is super fast these days, but you should still refrain from lifting your finger too quickly.
- Try to keep your finger in one place when you're authenticating — you don't want to move your finger around too much.
- If you're rockin' a screen protector or case, you don't want it to cover up the capacitive ring or the Home button — that could cause errors with Touch ID authentication.
- If all else fails, it's time to head to the Apple Store for one-on-one support.
How to delete and re-add your Touch ID fingerprints
Sometimes you've just gotta burn it to the ground and start anew.
How to delete and re-add your Touch ID fingerprints on Mac
Follow these steps to delete your Touch ID fingerprints on Mac:
- Click on the Apple menu icon in the upper left corner of your Mac's screen.
- Select System Preferences from the drop down menu.
- Select the Touch ID preference pane.
- Hover over the fingerprint icon you wish to delete until you see the X in the upper left corner, then click on it.
- Enter your password.
Press Delete to confirm.
Follow these steps to add your Touch ID fingerprints on Mac:
- Click on the Apple menu icon in the upper left corner of your Mac's screen.
- Select System Preferences from the drop down menu.
- Select the Touch ID preference pane.
- Click on Add a fingerprint.
Enter your user password.
Serenity Caldwell put together an extensive guide on Touch ID for the new MacBook Pro. You can check it out at the link below!
How to use Touch ID on your MacBook Pro
How to delete and re-add your Touch ID fingerprints on iOS
If you're having trouble with Touch ID on an iOS device, here's how you wipe the slate clean and start again!
- Launch the Settings app.
- Tap on Touch ID & Passcode.
- Type in your Passcode when prompted.
Tap on any fingerprint.
- Tap on Delete Fingerprint. Repeat this until all your fingerprints are removed.
- Tap on Add a Fingerprint...
Follow the on-screen prompts to set up a new fingerprint.
Questions?
Still running into problems with Touch ID or have a question I didn't answer above? Gimme a shout — either in the comments or on Twitter!
Reader comments
Touch ID not working for you? Here's how to fix it!
If you want to go back and Name the finger, instead of Finger 1, Finger 2 etc… - go into the Settings / Touch ID and place your finger on the Sensor, that finger will highlight on the iPhone so you know which finger it is, rename it. Right Thumb, Right Index etc…
The only problem I keep having is that it forgets fingers. I have it set on my iPhone 6s Plus to both my thumbs, but I use my right thumb 95% of the time or more. After about a month, it stops recognizing my left thumb. I have to delete the print and start over. This always happened with my 5s too. Any ideas why that happens?
I'm using 2 fingers for Touch ID most of the time (right index/thumb)... and occasionally I also use me left thumb.
What I did is registering 5 fingerprints; I registered my right index/thumb twice, and my left thumb once.
This way the system has your most used fingers registered double... so it has a more accurate reference.
I never have any login-errors (apart from when my fingers are wet)!! ;)
Can I use Touch ID to stop imore from using pointless GIFs all the time?
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http://i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/facebook/000/731/143/3e3.jpg
i cannt reset my figerprin so how can i do,some time i cnnt log in with my figerprin have to tap pasword .... can help me?
A genuine guide for those struggling at the lowest level of problems with touch id, guess what mine dosent even shows on phone it was actually working like charm a few days ago but i dont know it freezed add finger print options just after a battery replacement. The ribbon the button was intact i mean to say i did the replacement but the connecting cables were carefully removed and then seated with thenbracket but the iphone dint recognized my prints so i thought of deleteing them and then adding them again but bad luck after a finger print delete and a retart my phone lost its biometric functionality. In addition to this the most important thing that i was aware of since i bought this iphone was that it comes with a perfectly matched and coded touch id button hence leaving me with no hopes left even to test it with other button so as to make out that wether its alive or dead. Whereas i wonder how the same connecting port cout just separate touch id and button ,i mean to say if the button function so do the touch id should but thats not the scenario in my case. I am posting everywhere so that if its a os glitch they might bring out another update with the fix.
Thank you by the way for throwing up a platform to represent our issues related to touch id's
I have a user set up on a macbook pro tied to a domain account. The user is set up as an administrator. He is not able to set up touch ID when following instructions from several sources. Can touch ID be set up with a user account that is tied to a domain?
The Touch ID on my new MacBook Pro isn't working anymore. When I go into settings and try to add another finger after putting in my password it says it has failed but doesn't give me another option. Any thoughts?
My Touch ID on my new MacBook Pro just stopped working too. It doesn't store the administrator's fingerprint and the fingerprint I put it at the start is lost and I can't enter a new one. No one seems to know why and I am forced to type in a password all of the time- A real bummer
If you program the same finger twice, you have a better chance of the identification working. There are five slots for fingerprints. There is no reason why you cannot program the same finger in multiple slots. Also if you forget which finger is associated with which slot, merely hold your finger on the home button and that slot will turn grey.
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