14 DAY TRIAL // One of the key enhancements promised by Apple with the release of iOS 7.1 was improvements to the Touch ID fingerprint recognition. Although the firmware apparently does the trick for most people, a great deal of other users are finding their Touch IDs broken following the update.
User All8867, one of dozens such customers writing on the Apple Support Communities forum, says, “After installing iOS 7.1 Touch ID stopped working. When I put my finger on the sensor nothing happens. I already tried rebooting and switching Touch ID on and off. None of that seemed to work.”
This person adds, “Right now I'm trying to set up a new fingerbrint but it doesnt even start scanning when I put my finger on. It just doesnt do anything. I have a feeling that the sensor might be broken...”
According to some posters, iOS 7.1 turns off iPhone Unlock, causing Touch ID to stop working. All these users had to do was to simply visit the setting again and flip the toggle back to ON. However, for many others the Touch ID issue persists even with iPhone Unlock turned on.
The same All8867 comes back with an update an hour later after starting the thread in question, adding that “Something really weird is happening right now.”
“After letting the iPhone rest for about 10min I had a ‘repeat’ sign on my lockscreen after putting my thumb on the sensor. What I tried afterwards is adding a new finger in the settings. The first 3 clicks worked perfectly but afterwards it just stopped. It doesn't even react to my finger. No Vibration, nothing. After waiting a few seconds it worked again, but just until the next vibration. Now it doesn't do anything.”
The user points out that his phone is perfectly clean of any residue, that the device hasn’t been dropped or damaged in any way, and that his hands are also clean.
It appears that for some users the only way to address the problem is to visit their local retail store for an evaluation and perhaps even a replacement. If the issue becomes widespread and affects more people than Apple can tolerate, a new firmware update (iOS 7.1.1) may be in order.
Other threads on Apple Support Communities are actively discussing more minor issues with the update. It remains to be seen if these are mere isolated cases or large-scale problems that require Apple’s attention.