Fairphone 6 is switching to a new design that's even more sustainable

They mention the Pixel and I just got to say, I wish someone would bring back the fingerprint reader on the back of the phone. That was seriously the best solution. Fastest way to unlock your phone, because no matter how slow the fingerprint reader is you activate it while pulling it out of your pocket. I honestly don't get why people like Face ID more (what I currently use). Someone, please bring this back

It's not exactly a flagship phone, but the Unihertz Jelly Max has a fingerprint reader on the back.

I hate Face ID so much. I hate being asked for my PIN for every single little thing I do. I already unlocked my phone, please stop asking me. If I grabbed it, YES, I WANT TO DO THE THING!

-Exhausted Apple user also wanting easier authentication

My main gripe with fingerprint sensors on the back is that it's easy to inadvertently smudge the camera lens when unlocking the phone. Some phones have/had fingerprint unlock on the side power button which is similarly convenient, although I actually don't mind the underscreen sensors that are most common these days. I do appreciate being able to sneak a peek at my phone by discreetly unlocking it at very oblique angles that aren't possible with Face ID.

The problem with Unihertz though is that they lose interest in fixing software bugs approximately 5 minutes after lauching new phones. And, based on my experience, they tend to launch with a lot of bugs.

The backside fingerprint reader could even be used as an input device on some models for scrolling, or pulling down/up the notification bar. Great for scrolling through content or swiping through screens without having to cover your display for gesture input: https://www.androidauthority.com/miss-rear-fingerprint-scann...

Another plus: you could swipe down on the fingerprint reader for additional actions, like seeing your notifications.

I do the same with the sensor being on the lock button, why does it have to specifically be the back?

Hold your phone. Where does your index finger sit?

Or the minute it actually takes to unlock my phone because it missed the first one and then asks for my pin and activates right before I finish entering my pin

Are we talking about holding the phone, or about taking it out of my pocket? Because, for the latter, my fingers are on the sides, including on the power button.

The thumb works well enough with the finger print scanner to the side IMHO.

Exactly--this plus the usability original commenter communicated made this why I did so much work to keep my Pixel 3 alive for so long. I still think about the rear fingerprint sensor after a Pixel 3 -> pixel 6 -> S21 Ultra -> S24 Ultra journey, and further how much fun i had back in the ROM + kernel + modding + undervolting days.

> Fastest way to unlock your phone, because no matter how slow the fingerprint reader is you activate it while pulling it out of your pocket.

You can also do this with under-screen fingerprint readers which are excellent these days.

Who said it has to be on the back? Bro said that's what he prefers over Face ID, maybe just has never had one on the lock button.

The side buttons on my phone are more of an annoyance I think. I'm constantly pressing them inadvertently, and rarely use them intentionally. The most common thing in my Photos folder are accidental screenshots (yes I do go back and delete them periodically).

If it doesn't have to be on the back, he can just buy a phone with a fingerprint reader on the side today.

Me too, but for the purpose of unlocking, they're great. That's basically the only thing you can't do accidentally with them.

> fingerprint reader on the back of the phone

Seconded, vehemently.-

My humble, tiny, circa-2014 Elephone E1 (RIP) was unsurpassed.-

Me wonders if the "onscreen reader" is not an integration-cost cutting measure, as it saves one part?

Usually you can't place your finger in the just the rigbt spot when blindly frabbing the phone from your pocket.

I loved the rear fingerprint reader on my old Nexus 5X.

I see what you mean now. Having owned both kinds (and under-screen), I think they still have a point though - on the back was (slightly) better and I wish they'd come back.

Never worked out quite as well for me. There's no tactile feel, which is more important than people give credit for, especially when grabbing something without looking.

Plus, as others are pointing out, there's additional benefits

That's more a design failure of the camera system, not the fingerprint reader. You can have the best of both worlds here.

Your index finger is on the side? I have pretty big hands and long fingers, that's not how I hold my phone. I'm a bit weird and do pinky on button, three fingers in back, then thumb has ample room to navigate around the bottom half

No, my thumb is on the side, on the power button.

Well my original question was where your index finger was, not your thumb

I have. Better than FaceID and under screen but I still prefer on the back. It had other benefits and just felt nicer than in the lock button

The original topic was about unlocking your phone while taking it out of your pocket, which is done with the thumb.

I have never been able to unlock my under-screen fingerprint reader by taking it out of my pocket. This is because the reader isn't in a good position when the phone is in my pocket. Yes, it's where my thumb is when properly holding my phone, but my grip is different when pulling the phone out of my pocket. My older phone with the reader on the back had my index finger in position before I even attempted to take out of my pocket. It was slower at reading my prints, but was always unlocked before I looked at the screen.

I'd love to use the old phone for so many reasons, but the lack of updates has rendered it useless. No Lineage or Graphene for that one either.

> I honestly don't get why people like Face ID more

Because good luck using that fingerprint sensor while wearing gloves, e.g. during garden work, while on a motorcycle ride, or in winter.

I would personally rank a traditional iPhone home button sensor and the backside sensors on certain Android devices as equally great for unlocking while sliding the phone out of a pocket and general convenience.

Side button sensors work OK, too but I have much more misses on my supposedly more "modern" side button sensor phone than I ever had on old Pixels or any old iPhone with a home button sensor. I assume this is due to the size and general shape of a side button in comparison to an iPhone-style home button or old-Pixel-style back sensor which are bigger, indented and finger-guiding.

Plus you can feel it on the back which gives you natural feedback

Have you tried phones with it on the power button? That was the best for me by far.

Not to mention some models has haptic feedback and everything, upon unlock ...

Is your thumb the only place you have a fingerprint? I used my index finger on my Pixel 2

On the power button? How was that comfortable for you?

For all the hate that I give apple (great hardware, terrible company, wasted potential) it was extremely smart of them to buy PrimeSense. Even Microsoft kinda missed that boat.

Why not both, though. Touch ID for the 80% of cases where it works and then is faster than Face ID, because by the time the phone is in front of your face it’s already unlocked, and Face ID for the remaining cases where Touch ID fails. If you can include three cameras, surely you can include two biometric sensors.

> I honestly don't get why people like Face ID more

Big +1. Face ID fails way more than Touch ID ever did. I know you couldn't your finger with wet hands or gloves, but that didn't come up all that much.

Face ID fails multiple times per day, every day. I can't unlock my phone well in bed, while brushing teeth, while it's sitting on a table not directly in front of me, if I'm in direct sunlight, in a car mount, etc. The only time it's more useful is when I'm already using the phone and need to auth for an app (bank, 1Password, etc). Then it's seamless. It just doesn't make sense as an unlock mechanism, IMO. iPad has the same problem - I can't unlock it if it's on the couch next to me without picking it up and holding it in front of my face.

Face ID would make a lot of sense on a laptop, which is always used in basically ideal conditions for unlocking: straight on view, probably inside, always centered on my face.

I'd love Touch ID on a phone's lock button, but that's not an option. And I'm worried that if it was an option, it would be relegated to the budget phones (like it is on ipads).

The backup unlock is the watch.

> That was seriously the best solution.

I much prefer having it on a physical home button. You can still feel a dent, but it takes even less effort to reach for it with your thumb.

(Well, I think the Pixel never had a home button, and by now it's unfortunately disappeared from other phones too...)

Yeah it's great! I want to put off the screen and instantly after going off, it reads my finger and goes on again!

Who came up with that idea?

Why would sunlight make a difference? It uses infra red to map your face right?

I use my index finger on the rear scanner on the...S9+, I think? Works fine.

I'm sure it's manageable with proper software, as I had no such issue back in the day with my Xperia Z5(?) compact.

(That said, I get similarly cranky about various gestures that just don't reliably work in some cases. I despair of the eventual day they (google in my case) no longer offer the 3 button home row on android phones)

I have no idea, but it's a constant source of frustration. Sunglasses also lead to failed reads, which makes a little more sense but is just as frustrating. "Here's a new phone. It works great except you can't use it quickly if you're wearing sunglasses. Sorry!"

People hold it differently then, I suppose. The fingerprint reader on the back of my Pixel 4a never worked reliably for unlocking, and was too sensitive for scrolling. It scrolled so often when I did not want it to, and I could find no setting to turn it off, so I eventually put a piece of aluminium tape over it to block it.

Are you guys pulling my leg? The original post said "I wish they still made phones with scanners at the back, I hate FaceID", and my reply was "if you don't mind side scanners, which allow you to do the thing you miss (unlocking the phone while taking it out of your pocket), they still make those".

An ultra bright IR source from an unexpected angle?

Sunlight contains a lot of IR.

Asus?

It works with some sunglasses. Probably related to the coating on the lens.

Reading this on my Fairphone 5 and can't reproduce this issue. But I admit that sometimes I just want to see the lock screen and accidentally unlock the phone. Therefore, I still agree. The back is the better position for the fingerprint reader.

And even if it's not much of a dent, with a case, it makes a fantastic divot for holding your phone. I hate FaceID and I miss fingerprint scanners.

I was a FaceID skeptic and it quickly won me over, not because of the unlocking experience, but for the authentication during use. What used to be a prompt, followed by an active fingerprint scan, turned into something completely seamless and automatic.

The Pixels had the worst option for a while: the under-screen optical sensor. Slow and prone to failure. They've since switched it out for an ultrasonic sensor, but it was shockingly bad for a few years.

It's nice that it was working for you, and I also wish we could build more options for ourselves.

I think, even having a stable physical design would help tremendously: imagine each new Pixel with the same standard screen size and casing attachment. Google could still change the overall outer feel as long as it fits the inner latching mechanism.

Then building a third party back panel with a fingerprint reader becomes somewhat realistic. And we don't need Google to build an ecosystem, just stop doing their minuscule size tweaks every year and stabilize the attachment mechanism. Just that.

My wife and her sister can unlock each other’s iPhones using the face unlock feature which blows my mind because they do NOT look super similar and are 4 years apart. I’ve turned off all biometrics and use only a PIN. I’m extremely skeptical of the tech.

It works occasionally, but unpredictably. Consistently frustrating though

FaceID is still not working well for many cases. I thought it was just my family, but it seems common enough [0].

It's nice that is works for you, but it really sucks when it fails as there's no other biometric alternative. And changing their whole ecosystem just to get working biometrics is a high bar for many.

[0] https://www.reddit.com/r/Makeup/comments/wfjy5x/apple_id_doe...

With many phones these days you can suspend by just double-tapping the screen, or the status bar. Sometimes this works for resume too, other phones require a physical button press.

> I honestly don't get why people like Face ID more (what I currently use)

Because it works for authentication too. My password manager just... automatically authenticates me without me having to tap a thing. It recognizes the login form on the validated domain, it scans my face, it fills in my info. Same as paying with Wallet, I just slide up the credit card I want to use and it scans my face as I hold it against the reader.

And I'm not always pulling the phone out of my pocket, I'm picking it up off the table. I grab it by the edges, I'm not putting my finger on its back.

Two situations I can think of, they might have Bluetooth unlock with an apple watch enabled, or they might have the work with masks setting turned on which turns the accuracy to shit.

My current phone has that and it's the absolute worst design choice I have ever seen in a phone. It is constantly triggering when I'm trying to lock the screen. I can't understand what the designers at Nokia were thinking, truly awful hardware design.

That's what makes it insecure. You're always looking at the device.

Besides, fingerprint is even faster. You can unlock the device right as you grab it out of your pocket. You don't even have to look at it.

This is one of the big things I miss from my Pixel 5a; it was so nice to be able to unlock the phone and pull down the notifications bar with one hand. There's a lot I like about the Pixel 8 Pro I replaced it with, but that's one thing I miss.

Same thing with Fairphone 4. It's either too dirty to register on first touch (the smaller surface doesn't help), or I unlock the screen when I lock the phone.

Your watch should not unlock someone else's phone though.

The point is if you have watch unlock enabled and someone unlocks your phone standing right next to you, it's still in range to unlock your phone with your watch.

The one thing that grinds my gears is how they made it mandatory for lock page widgets. I don’t need my smart lights faceid protected when I’m trying to turn them on in the middle of the night

At some point, somebody is going to have to bring back the "track pad" aspect of the fingerprint sensor at least.-

(Heck, I'd buy it even as an add on, that one could stick to the back of the phone ...)

How you can ensure that your fingerprints are not sent somewhere (and your face model when using Face ID)?

the scene early in Demolition Man where Wesley Snipes takes advantage of the most critical flaw in biometric security has always made me shy away from it. if someone is motivated enough, removal of the unlocking body part is all to easy so I'll stick with pass codes or patterns

I'd say you're in the minority then and most people would have their fingers on the front and back while pulling it out due to pocket physics (they don't get wider, but they get deeper).

You can say the same thing about a PIN code.

Edit: oooof I missed the point entirely. Sorry.

PIN code is worthless, what will you use it for if you don't have my phone? While fingerprints and 3D face scan will always find a buyer, for example, the government.

It rarely happens right when locking the phone, mosty because I already developed the habit to press the power button not with the tip of my thumb but lower down, where the joint is. But when shoving it back in my pocket it still happens on a regular basis, even when I try to avoid it. The button is just located in such a way that it's very hard to avoid touching it while doing so. Then I pull it out a while later to find I changed 20 settings and made a dozen in-app purchases. ;)

I had an Pixel 9 Pro with the ultrasonic sensor and I found that it wouldn't work at all with a tempered glass screen protector. The optical sensor they had for previous generation sort of works fine with a screen protector

Removing a body part is also an effective way to get a pass code or pattern. If someone is willing to do you great harm to unlock your phone, I don't think it matters much what locking method you use.

My sister in law's mom and her daughter have the same thing too where the daughter can unlock her mom's phone with faceID. I researched this and apparently, if you have an unsuccessful unlock first and then you enter the code to unlock, then the phone may train the faceID with the new face too.

> and my reply was "if you don't mind side scanners, which allow you to do the thing you miss (unlocking the phone while taking it out of your pocket), they still make those".

This isn't quite what you said, you asked a question

> why does it have to specifically be the back?

and then got an answer to the question

> Where does your index finger sit?

This answer was presumably meant to imply that your index finger naturally sits at the perfect spot for unlocking the phone if the sensor is on the back. At least for me (and I always assumed everyone else, but you are showing to be an exception), my index finger is on the back of the phone both when taking it out of the pocket and when holding it, so it's the perfect spot for a sensor.

Your assumption of using the thumb to unlock the phone is apparently so strong that maybe you didn't realize others in this thread are assuming index finger is the most natural to unlock, and I guess that is where the confusion comes from. Since I have a sensor on the back of my phone and unlock it with my index finger while taking it out of my pocket, this statement is very odd to me:

> The original topic was about unlocking your phone while taking it out of your pocket, which is done with the thumb.

First, it's not true for me, since I use my index finger, and second, I'm not even sure how I would have to contort my hand to have the fingers and thumbs on the side of the phone while taking it out of my pocket such that the thumb could unlock via a side sensor. Even putting my hand in at a 90 degree angle is tough because pockets are usually too tight for that. But I suppose if you have always unlocked your phone with your thumb while taking it out of your pocket, I can see why you might think they're pulling your leg.

I guess this is highly subjective, I was just talking with my girlfriend last night about how much I dislike when the fingerprint reader is not on the front. Specifically because only if it is on the front I can easily use it when my phone is lying on the table.

Also, my current phone phone has it on the back and I can only configure one fingerprint, so if for some reason I am holding it in my left hand I am out of luck.

People without safety and security awareness often underestimate a) time, b) the neccessary criminal energy, c) opportunity, and d) logistics (e. g. seclusion, tools).

But when one has technology that works for the attacker by conveniently elimininating the mentioned problems almost completely, than your set of security features is just a pathetic lie... as well as a self-delusion.

Which, to be honest, a lot of safety and security measures and technology are to most people. ;)

Agreed, the front fingerprint reader works perfectly fine.

Definitely subjective. But popular enough that it should exist in the many many versions of Android phones that exist. What's the point of having so many varieties if they're all the same?

Fwiw, it I'm at my desk it'd usually be on its face for flip to silent. Then I pick up and it's natural. Or I'd be using scrcpy because if I'm in front of a computer why are my hands moving from the keyboard? I guess I'll compromise with the mouse lol

Single fingerprint registration is weird. Iirc I could do 2 on my pixel 2

Seriously!

There's so much design innovation that's been pushed off the table in an effort to make everything look the same.

What bugs me is there's so many Android phones but so few differences

Yes. I pine for the ATX of phones.

That was my experience with a back fingerprint reader. I reach my hand into my pocket, my finger naturally lands on the sensor, and my phone is unlocked before it's out!

I rarely saw my lockscreen

But when I switched to the pixel 8 with a front reader I always saw it

Now on my iPhone I see it frequently and it doesn't land when wearing a mask, when I'm talking, when I'm not looking (I could blind navigate my phone), or when it's just dark. So it just feels painfully slow in comparison...

Nothing has beaten the magical experience of a back fingerprint reader and I think this is why so many of us miss it. But I'm sure it's one of those things you'd have had to use to really feel the magic

It doesn't have to be for everyone but there's enough phones that the option should be available...

The fingerprint reader is one of the things I most love about my iPhone SE; I don’t see any reason to get a new phone.

Apple’s declining software quality and walled garden incline me more and more towards ditching iPhone for GrapheneOS or a dumb phone like the Punkt MP; I find far more joy reading on an eReader, taking photos with a camera, or taking notes in my notebook than I do using the phone for any of those.

Especially for notes, keeping journals for the last few years, I find such peace and even connection with myself and my thoughts in my journals; I write down passages from books that are meaningful to me, and seeing my own handwriting, the ink I wrote it in, even the shading in the ink – it all adds up to a deeply meaningful, physical experience.

The answer is not more phone, it’s less!

+1 I've come to realize that the rear fingerprint sensor is even more important than the audio jack for me.

Well, that, and in the USA at least the government are constitutionally allowed to use whatever force necessary to put your finger onto the reader, or your face in front of the scanner.

Are you saying that they’re holding it wrong™?

The best it's on the power button tbh

Can you use double tap to wake when you just need to check the screen? This will also reduce the mechanical stress on the physical unlock button.

Would be great if both options were available simultaneously. Face ID didn’t pass? Just scan your finger instead and carry on.

> motivated enough

https://xkcd.com/538/

How can you ensure that your phone is not recording you 24/7? It’s called „trust“. Trust in the vendor, trust in independent 3rd parties that would identify such an issue, trust in capitalism because this would certainly be very bad publicity.

Nothing better than trying to unlock your phone at night and the screen blasts the white light to illuminate your fingerprint to be read.

Ultrasonic ftw.

Don't they actually detect pulse nowadays? Or is it facial micromovements for faceid?

Mail on iOS stopped working properly months ago, touch on this particular device sometimes does not work. Photos app is ridiculous. Software quality is declining. Even very average user like me can notice it.

There was a "healthy" phone called the Bloc Phone which had the screen in Black & White by default but allowed you to use the fingerprint on the back at any time to give you a few minutes of colour when (say) looking through your camera roll. Really cool idea.

I literally asked a question about the index finger. Don't try to gaslight me here lol

  > Hold your phone. ***Where does your index finger sit?***

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44358046

I used iPhone SE 2020 temporarily when my main android was in repair and I loved it so much that I made it my daily driver.

It fits perfectly on my dwarf hands, fingerprint for security and just the apps to get things done.

Credit where it’s due to Apple for still supporting the phone with SW updates.

FaceID does have two flaws in my mind.

1) I frequently unlock my phone while it's laying flat on the desk a good distance from my face. The camera can't see me, and certainly not well enough to identify me.

2) I don't believe that you can add a second FaceID. Currently I have a few fingers added to my TouchID, including my wifes index finger, allowing her to unlock my phone.

The back sensor had an indent too, so you could easily feel it. Hold your phone in your hand. Where does your index finger sit? If it is on the back of the phone, that's where the sensor was. It was very natural.

The Mail thing was weird. I thought it was maybe an update or even a network issue as I had recently changed my router. I eventually gave up and replaced Mail with another email client.

  > Because it works for authentication too. 

You do realize this is true for fingerprint sensors too, right? Everything you are describing here is orthogonal to fingerprint and FaceID

This might be a minority experience but I used to use the Pixel 4a with the reader on the back and now the Pixel 8a with reader inside the display and I find the fingerprint reader of the 8a marginally faster and much more reliable. From an UX perspective I also find it slightly more practical on the front so I can unlock the phone without picking it up.

This is the best option by far, sadly can't find it anymore

This was annoying, but it is less annoying than my experience with FaceID[0]. Sure, there's no perfect solution, but it isn't like we all have to use the exact same solution for everything, right? There's more than one phone out there...

I do hope we have a mutual understanding that we're talking about something subjective. Something that isn't the best option for everyone. FaceID, fingerprint, or whatever. There's no one size fits all...

[0] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44362879

Sensor on power button is far more elegant, imo. I've had all three solutions and that one stood out as the clear winner.

This is maybe specific to the model, but my previous phone (Xperia 10 V) had its sensor on the power button and I'd always unintentionally unlock it immediately after locking it and putting it back in my pocket

its probably more of a software issue. ive had 3 phones (sony, samsung) with sensors in the power button and never had a problem

It's great for that specific use case.

It's terrible for people who put their phone on their desk, in a stand, or on a wireless charger while they are working.

I cover the front camera (I don't do video calls anyway). "Trust" in people who live in the other country and cannot even be put in jail seems like a poor choice.

i got rid of my pixel and went back to sony because of the fingerprint sensor being on the back. when its lying flat on a desk you have to lift it up to unlock it, same deal when its in a dock of some sort, its very awkward. having it on the side is a much better idea

Agreed, I honestly couldn’t tell you what the lockscreen on my pixel 3a looked like, I almost never saw it. 100x better than faceid.

The one place i feel faceid is better than rear fingerprint reader is when i need to auth multiple times in quick succession like filling with my password manager.

I'm about 30 seconds away from doing the same. It's honestly woeful how bad it is. Probably just going to move to the Fastmail client directly, I suppose.

i still use a first gen SE. got updates up to ios15. given that it's almost 10 years old the battery lasted more than my pixel 6a.

I hate iOS but in terms of hardware quality and software updates its unmatched.

Genuine Question: What problem did you encounter within the Mail App?

My iPad (and also the iPad Air) has a fingerprint sensor on it's power button and it's very nice.

You need to block Siri in it and then it works fine again.

Not the original commenter, but it regularly fails to update emails unless it is restarted. Last 2 major iOS versions have had the same problem for me. That’s a fundamental functionality failure in my book.

This! Continuously restart app to read new mail.

was? is!

They still haven't fixed it.

I don't use emails enough on my iPhone to make the effort to try another client, but the unread bubble is still stuck at 2, no matter how much unread emails I actually have. The app randomly shows or hides some emails...

That's weird!

I got braces recently and I had to go through the FaceID process again because it didn't recognized me anymore.

Obviously my teeth are quite different with my mouth open, but apparently, it modified my face enough when mouth closed that FaceID thaught I was not myself anymore.

I love having the fingerprint reader behind the screen on my Pixel 8a. It has a clear benefit vs. the back; you can unlock it while it's sitting on the table, without lifting it up.

Sure, but I'm talking about where my fingers first reach when taking the device out of my pocket.

In that case, I'm grabbing it with my thumb, index finger and middle finger, and since the phone is seated upside down, my thumb reaches the home button before I'm even holding it in my palm.

On phones with a fingerprint sensor on the back, I first have to get a full grip, and then I can reach for the sensor.

(But it's probably somewhat hand/pocket-specific...)

Thanks! I didn't notice it because I only have manual mail fetch. But I did notice frequent crashes of the app when you open heavy email (e.g with lots of images)

No, one of the new "nokia" that run stock android.

FaceID is absolute terrible. If you wear glasses, the angle on which it operates it pretty narrow. It has a really hard time if your face is partially covered. I can't hold my phone near my lap/chest on a train and unlock it, I need to bring it up to eye level (a gesture most unwelcome when you want to be discreet in unsafe areas). I can't lie in the couch with the phone resting in front of me; I need to angle it up to unlock it. It won't unlock in the mist, light rain, or a variety of other situations.

I last tried the iPhone 16. It's a huge downgrade from the last iPhone SE.

The jurisdictions where a cop will with force put your finger to the fingerprint reader, but won't beat the keys out of you cover most of the first and parts of the second world.

And if you are not in one of those countries just politely ask for a blank white sheet of paper to sign and let them fill the rest. You will save everyone some time.

Devices like the Punkt MP would great in an ideal world (if they had support for something like XMPP). But in practice, a huge amount of people use Telegram, or WeChat or some other network for which you need a native phone app.

Wow, that’s pretty interesting. I wouldn’t think that would be enough to impact it without some accompanying procedures, like expanding the pallet, or some kind of jaw surgery.

Was it right away from getting the braces put on (from a little extra bulk on the teeth), or after they’ve been on for several months, where the movement of the teeth could change the structure of the face around the mouth?

The digitizer chip vendors get a percentage of every app purchase.

Doesn’t the screen indicate which unlock method it’s using?

Regarding flaw 2, this was the case at launch, but they added an option to register an “additional appearance”.

An issue I have with my SE is that ever since the last major iOS release in September, I think they forgot how tall the device is. Notification Center pushes notifications so far down, that I’m unable to scroll down to see them. It feels like it was designed for a taller phone. However, I think this was fixed recently, which is great after months of being unable to use it to check notifications.

I had a Xiaomi phone with a fingerprint reader on the back, and now I have a Pixel phone with a fingerprint reader on the screen. It took about a week to get used to the new location, and I have been doing well since then. Do you have specific issues with it?

Maybe they should provide both options.

Not every phone needs to be "opinionated" ...

I'm just using a PIN too, I don't want to give google/apple/any other my fingerprints or my face features

SInce I prefer to keep my fingers than my secrets, I do not care too much about this issue: I would give every password if threatened. However I don't want my fingerprint and my face features to be stored somewhere

Well, foldables have them. Sadly they're the opposite of affordable and sustainable.

It started as soon as I left the orthodontist's place.

Based on what I can see in the mirror and the fact that some people asked me if I had lost weight (I didn't), it appears that the braces on the upper teeth are pushing my upper lip away, which in turns is pulling my face skin, resulting in more hollow cheeks and more visible cheekbones.

Sorry if I wasn't clear -- it's because I don't have to do anything.

The fingerprint sensor requires me to put my finger on it.

FaceID just works without me doing anything. I don't even realize I have to authenticate, and then have to do something in response -- it just does it.

Why not both?

Let's also stick an extra USB-C port on the side of the phone so that you can charge from whichever port is more convenient at the time. Or use an accessory like wired headphones and charge at the same time without carrying around a USB hub. Or if one breaks (charging ports are one of the most common things to fail on the phone) you can continue using the other one (either temporarily until the other is repaired or indefinitely).

Yeah! I use that quite a lot on my Pixel 4a. It's particularly useful to close the system quick settings, since I can just scroll once instead of 4 times x)

Ironically, some devices (Pixel 9 at least) have now added a tiny little touch sensor exactly where the fingerprint reader used to be - it doesn't read the fingerprint, but you can regain this functionality by mapping taps to actions.

I can't even imagine why they decided to keep the fingerprint sensor on the front but add a whole separate sensor on the back.

boy messed with the law and done got the keys beat out of him

My current phone actually has this (ROG 9) and it's really nice! I had to put my phone in a cupholder recently and the side charging port saved me from having to balance it on the charging cable. (It also has a headphone jack.)

that also never happened on any of the string of cheap chinese phones I installed lineageos on before deciding the world was sketchy enough to mean grapheneos was the minimum viable level of hardening for my phone. I miss the power button fingerprint scanner dearly.

Nice, I did not know that. Thank you.

> if you have an unsuccessful unlock first and then you enter the code to unlock, then the phone may train the faceID with the new face too

Ay wat? That sounds completely backwards, like if an incorrect password for account login would automatically reset the account password to the incorrect one, how would that make sense?!

You can bring back the software buttons for back/home/app switcher on Android in one of the display menus. First thing I turn on.

Are you talking about the feature "Quick Tap" in the settings where you can double tap the back? There's no sensor for that, they just use the accelerometer to detect that input. It's been incredibly unreliable for me.

Worked that way from FaceID introduction. Apple never cared enough. If you share your phone it is on you that the phone accepts the face who you share it with after you enter a pin. It really should have a new face button under the pin.

I would not necessarily trust that. Had an army coworker who regularly beat information out with rubber hoses where he was stationed. Sort of the evil version of don’t ask don’t tell.

It's pretty embarrassing that Apple doesn't bother fixing this issue.

Where do I begin? I guess saying that using thunderbird or neomux is a huge upgrade. Just the ability to filter or add tags is huge. But I don't know an alternative in iOS which frequently doesn't even update and inline displays pdfs making it easier for scammers

If the fingerprint reader is in the right place it feels like you aren't doing anything. Just like with FaceID where you looking at your phone becomes second nature so does your hand placement when pulling your phone out of your pocket.

If you haven't had a phone like this before it's hard to explain. But I can tell you from personal experience that it is less effort than FaceID, which is my current daily driver

There is no such "right place". As I already explained, it's totally different if you're pulling it out of your pocket vs. picking it up from a table. Vs. holding it. I've had devices with fingerprint sensors on the back and on the edge. My finger is never naturally "just there". Even pulling it out of my pocket, where it comes the closest. Most importantly, my finger does not sit on the fingerprint sensor the entire time I'm using the phone, the way my face is nearly always visible to it when authentication is necessary.

Coming from a Pixel ~5 to a Fairphone 5, this is by far my biggest gripe. Constantly finding it unlocked because it unlocks as soon as I lock it.

I wonder if it depends on the phone model as well, and specifically on the quality of whatever sensor they use for depth perception.

It doesn't save a part. It's still a separate part underneath the screen.

The S9 wasn't super bad but the S8's was right beside the cam which really sucked. Constantly getting fingerprints all over the camera.

"Choose your dopamine [fix]" :)

I suppose so! I didn't realize that's how it was implemented. I guess that explains the... less than stellar reliability.

They do Face ID because it's cooler and for unreasonable ideas about "security". As if most people are enough of a target to mess around with bio identification.

Apple best product is marketing by far; this is just one of the results.

I have been using Face ID since the iPhone X and agree that it sucks. It doesn't even really solve the "problems" I thought it would solve (unlock while cooking or other activities where your hands are dirty) because you need to look at the thing in a particular way and you need clean hands to interact with the phone anyway.

It is especially annoying because the design of the notch/dynamic island is just terrible/stupid.

There are days where I get so many misses that I feel like disabling the thing entirely since I have to use the passcode so much anyway. I was already very skeptical of Touch ID but Face ID is just worse and more expensive for not much benefits.

This is the issue with technology nowadays, most of the real "problems" have been solved so tech companies come up with all kinds of nonsense to sell newer and shinier stuff. At some point a screwdriver is a screwdriver and a smartphone is a smartphone, we just need it to be of good quality and last long, that's it. But this does not make for "infinite" growth so here we are...

In practice, that's me as well; while here in the US texting is big, in years abroad I don't think I had a single conversation via SMS - everything was in apps.

That makes phones like the Punkt an ideal more than something practical. But I still want one. It appeals to the minimalist in me, big time.

A big issue with fingerprint-only devices is water. If your finger, the reader or both are sufficiently wet, most readers just don't work. Most touchscreens also don't work too well in those conditions - certainly not well enough to enter a secure alphanumeric unlock code - but enough to pull up a map.

I've had my old iPhone 7+ turn into a charged brick multiple times in the rain. Never happened with the faceID phones.

Not sure if there was an option, but I would not want to enable it anyway. I want to avoid baby fingers to enable the screen ;) I remember I enabled it with my previous phone, though, so could work for some.