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Unable to activate touch ID on apple iphone SE

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akh43
akh43 Posts: 1,599 Forumite
Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
edited 23 August 2021 at 4:20PM in Techie Stuff
I have my daughter's old iphone I think its a 7 SE a few years old.  Until a few days ago I had the fingerprint ID set up to log in and a 4 digit passcode and the majority of time I used the touch ID to access the phone and have been doing so since I got the phone months ago. 

Suddenly, possibly after a recent update earlier in the week, my touch ID has stopped working.  When I try to access the phone it initially says:
"Touch ID Unable to activate Touch ID on this iPhone."

I googled this and several sites said to:
  1. Unplug your device. ...
  2. Turn off your passcode via Turn Passcode Off in the Touch ID & Passcode area of the settings. ...
  3. Sign out of your Apple ID and then log back in.
I did this and am now in a worse position as it made me update my Passcode and now instead of a 4 digit Passcode I have a 6 digit one and am still unable to set up my touch ID. When I try it says: "Failed, Unable to complete Touch ID setup. Please go back and try again." which obviously doesn't work.

Does anyone know anything else I can do to sort this?

Thanks





Comments

  • JenB79
    JenB79 Posts: 200 Forumite
    100 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    Maybe try a factory reset, after doing a backup? Btw there is no such "6SE" iPhone model, I presume you meant a SE given the thread title.
  • Neil49
    Neil49 Posts: 3,362 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    With regards to the 6 digit code requirement, this is the standard default for an iPhone but can be changed when originally setting up the code by an option on the setup screen where you can choose an alternative number of digits.

    It's a while since I did the setup but I also use 4.
  • akh43
    akh43 Posts: 1,599 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    Neil49 said:
    With regards to the 6 digit code requirement, this is the standard default for an iPhone but can be changed when originally setting up the code by an option on the setup screen where you can choose an alternative number of digits.

    It's a while since I did the setup but I also use 4.

    Thanks, googled and changed to 4 digits so at least that's a bit easier to log in.
  • Jenni_D
    Jenni_D Posts: 5,430 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Fourth Anniversary Name Dropper Photogenic
    Has the Touch sensor perhaps failed? (That could explain why it used to work but now doesn't).
    Jenni x
  • Sandtree
    Sandtree Posts: 10,628 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Fourth Anniversary Name Dropper
    Has the screen ever been replaced by a third party? I know two phones an associate had when they got a cheapo screen replacement the touchID failed shortly after whereas the ones that didn't get dropped and/or were repaired by Apple never had an issue. 
  • coffeehound
    coffeehound Posts: 5,741 Forumite
    Tenth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    edited 24 August 2021 at 12:58PM
    This link

    https://www.iphonetricks.org/iphone-se-touch-id-not-working-in-ios-14-2/

    thinks it is a bug that will be addressed in due course, so if you can put up with the passcode for a little longer.

    Possibly extend the period before the phone locks to make it less of a chore, though of course that comes with reduced security; your decision there
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