Reviewers say they miss Face ID after testing the iPhone Duo’s side-button Touch ID, which multiple hands-on reports describe as noticeably slower because Apple adds an intentional pause before the device fully unlocks.
Face ID nostalgia and Touch ID trade-offs
According to Marques Brownlee, Apple added an intentional delay to “every single” Touch ID unlock: when you touch a finger to the side button the phone pauses on the Lock Screen, and if you keep your finger there it then proceeds to the Home Screen. Brownlee called the pause “technically smart,” saying it gives people a chance to check notifications before the phone unlocks, but added that coming from the instant unlocks of Face ID he wanted a way to turn the pause off and did not find one. Brownlee said his personal workaround is to wake the iPhone Duo, swipe up, then touch the sensor for an instant unlock.
One reviewer described Touch ID as taking “a bit longer to unlock than you might expect.” Apple told that site the Touch ID pause creates a more consistent experience compared with other devices that use Touch ID, such as Macs and iPads, and that the pause gives the phone time to wake up and display Lock Screen notifications.
Joanna Stern reported she was still fumbling unlocks after a week of use despite having five fingers registered, and wrote, “Face ID, I cannot tell you how deeply I miss you.”
Mrwhosetheboss said the requirement to hold rather than tap “feels like a tiny bit of extra friction 50 times a day,” and found Touch ID could be problematic just after washing his hands or with slightly greasy fingers; he also said the sensor is really only comfortable to use in landscape orientation.
One reviewer called Apple’s choice to use Touch ID instead of Face ID “a mistake,” finding Touch ID slower than Face ID. That review also reported accidental presses when picking up or moving the iPhone triggered a haptic error buzz and said it was buzzing constantly. The same reviewer noted that unlocking with an Apple Watch was faster than using Touch ID and that having a watch for unlocking “removed a lot of the friction” caused by Touch ID.
Brian Tong said Touch ID “feels like a step back” and added, “I’m going to tell you right now, you will want to wear an Apple Watch.”
Raymond Wong said he missed Face ID every time he grabbed the iPhone Duo from a desk or pocket and had to remember to place a registered finger on the button. He also said it was difficult to get used to not being able to look to authenticate Apple Pay, and noted that, as with older iPhones, winter gloves will need to come off for unlocking.
Other reviewers were less negative: one said a week was long enough to get used to Touch ID and called it “mostly painless once you remember you’re supposed to be using it,” while another said the iPhone Duo’s biggest tradeoff might be Touch ID but described it as working “quickly and reliably.”
If you’re getting an iPhone Duo, will you miss Face ID? Let us know in the comments below.
