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I hate the loss of the home button. Face ID is fine, but multiplexing so many different features on to the single, poorly-placed, side button has been a huge n

I hate the loss of the home button. Face ID is fine, but multiplexing so many different features on to the single, poorly-placed, side button has been a huge negative for me. The side button is way too easy to hit when the device is in your pocket, and when that happens you're activating Siri, or Apple Pay, or some accessibility shortcut, or you're taking a screenshot, or you're activating emergency mode. I've lost count of the number of times I've pulled my iPhone X from pocket to find that the screen is on, Siri is waiting for a command, and the accessibility menu is on screen. And when I actually need to take a screenshot, or shutdown the device, I can never remember the actual key combination. It's such a mess.

uptown 8y ago
I've been using the X and while it's a great device, the one thing I miss most is TouchID. Things like ApplePay are less convenient using FaceID, so I'm less likely to use it. The side-button double-click is awkward and unnatural feeling. Unlocking the device when it's flat on a desk or table now requires that I pick up the device instead of placing a finger on the sensor. Unlocking on the X seems slower than with the finger -- perhaps because in order to unlock I need to have it aimed towards me, whereas with TouchID I could unlock as I brought the device in front of my field of view. I really wish they'd found a way to keep TouchID even while introducing FaceID capable cameras.
- mstade 8y ago
  This, a million times this. Face ID is such a leap back from Touch ID.
- sixstringtheory 8y ago
  As an iOS developer who constantly needs to reunlock test devices, I simply cannot be required to face each one each time to use FaceID, that’s an ergonomic nightmare. It also reminds me of the Black Mirror episode where people live in those small rooms with walls and ceilings lined with TV displays, and it would pause ads while it detected they weren’t actively watching. (S1E2: Fifteen Million Merits, probably NSFW) Maybe Apple will eventually “catch up” to Android and put a TouchID on the back of the phone :D H*ck, make it Apple shaped!
  - curun1r 8y ago
    > it would pause ads while it detected they weren’t actively watching OT, but I absolutely hate the Page Visibility API for this reason. There are sites out there that will pause ads if you switch to another tab or bring up another window in front of your browser. It's stupidly annoying and, at a minimum, should require user permission much like geolocation or notifications.
mstade 8y ago
Me too, and I hate face id. It forces me to essentially try to take a selfie to open my phone, or read notifications. I feel it's gotten better over time, but it fails very often and I find myself having to type the passcode all the time. Of course, it doesn't show the passcode option immediately either, you have to wait till it gives up on face id auth so there's a second or so of delay. I often have my phone lying down on the table next to my laptop while working, and face id NEVER works then, unless I look straight at it from above. Conversely, touch id was perfect. I could just put any one of my registered fingers on the button and it'd more or less instantly open up. I didn't have to look at the phone, I didn't have to pose. It just worked. Face id is a terrible step back, and now there's no option but older phones if you want touch id. I got the touch bar MBP just so I could have touch id on it too, it's great. I was really stoked about the iPhone X when it was announced, ordered it the second it became available. I didn't like it very much at first but figured maybe it just took some getting used to, but now after a year I honestly think it's a step back. Was waiting for a new iPhone 8 style device, with touch id, but since they've given up on that I guess I just have to get an 8 or get used to the new selfie normal and weird overloaded touch gestures everywhere.. sigh

uptown 8y ago

I've been using the X and while it's a great device, the one thing I miss most is TouchID. Things like ApplePay are less convenient using FaceID, so I'm less likely to use it. The side-button double-click is awkward and unnatural feeling. Unlocking the device when it's flat on a desk or table now requires that I pick up the device instead of placing a finger on the sensor. Unlocking on the X seems slower than with the finger -- perhaps because in order to unlock I need to have it aimed towards me, whereas with TouchID I could unlock as I brought the device in front of my field of view. I really wish they'd found a way to keep TouchID even while introducing FaceID capable cameras.

mstade 8y ago
This, a million times this. Face ID is such a leap back from Touch ID.
sixstringtheory 8y ago
As an iOS developer who constantly needs to reunlock test devices, I simply cannot be required to face each one each time to use FaceID, that’s an ergonomic nightmare. It also reminds me of the Black Mirror episode where people live in those small rooms with walls and ceilings lined with TV displays, and it would pause ads while it detected they weren’t actively watching. (S1E2: Fifteen Million Merits, probably NSFW) Maybe Apple will eventually “catch up” to Android and put a TouchID on the back of the phone :D H*ck, make it Apple shaped!
- curun1r 8y ago
  > it would pause ads while it detected they weren’t actively watching OT, but I absolutely hate the Page Visibility API for this reason. There are sites out there that will pause ads if you switch to another tab or bring up another window in front of your browser. It's stupidly annoying and, at a minimum, should require user permission much like geolocation or notifications.

mstade 8y ago

Me too, and I hate face id. It forces me to essentially try to take a selfie to open my phone, or read notifications. I feel it's gotten better over time, but it fails very often and I find myself having to type the passcode all the time. Of course, it doesn't show the passcode option immediately either, you have to wait till it gives up on face id auth so there's a second or so of delay. I often have my phone lying down on the table next to my laptop while working, and face id NEVER works then, unless I look straight at it from above. Conversely, touch id was perfect. I could just put any one of my registered fingers on the button and it'd more or less instantly open up. I didn't have to look at the phone, I didn't have to pose. It just worked. Face id is a terrible step back, and now there's no option but older phones if you want touch id. I got the touch bar MBP just so I could have touch id on it too, it's great. I was really stoked about the iPhone X when it was announced, ordered it the second it became available. I didn't like it very much at first but figured maybe it just took some getting used to, but now after a year I honestly think it's a step back. Was waiting for a new iPhone 8 style device, with touch id, but since they've given up on that I guess I just have to get an 8 or get used to the new selfie normal and weird overloaded touch gestures everywhere.. sigh