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- Potential issues with Face ID versus Touch ID?
It looks like sometime in the next few days I'm going to buy a new iPhone to replace my 5S. I've been thinking about this for almost a year, but now it's become somewhat urgent because my wife needs to replace her old Nokia non-smartphone soon. According to our cellular provider (Consumer Cellular), the AT&T and Verizon networks that they re-sell are phasing out the 3G service that the Nokia uses. So our plan is for me to get my new iPhone, then hand the 5S down to her.
She'll probably need to buy a new iPhone at some point anyway because iOS 13 which comes out next month won't support phones before the 6S. But at least she can get started with iOS using the 5S. She already uses an iPad at home, so an iPhone won't be a shock for her.
So, my candidates are the iPhone XR ($750) and the 8 ($600). The 8 is obviously cheaper, but I'll likely be able to keep the XR longer before future versions of iOS no longer support it. I've got the money, so I don't mind paying more now if I get more years of service out of it.
The other big factor for me is that the 8 uses Touch ID (thumbprint) which has worked well for me on the 5S, whereas the XR uses Face ID. I'm a bit concerned about the reliability of Face ID, because I have at two or three different "appearances." Indoors, I always wear eyeglasses. Outdoors, while driving, I wear large wraparound sunglasses on top of the eyeglasses. Outdoors, outside the car, I also usually wear a baseball-type cap. (Supposedly Face ID can handle caps or hats.)
So I'm a bit concerned whether Face ID can handle all these circumstances, even with its ability to define an "alternate appearance" (similar to an "alternate thumbprint" for Touch ID). If any of you all use an iPhone with Face ID, how well has it worked, and how often do you need to fall back on your passcode?
She'll probably need to buy a new iPhone at some point anyway because iOS 13 which comes out next month won't support phones before the 6S. But at least she can get started with iOS using the 5S. She already uses an iPad at home, so an iPhone won't be a shock for her.
So, my candidates are the iPhone XR ($750) and the 8 ($600). The 8 is obviously cheaper, but I'll likely be able to keep the XR longer before future versions of iOS no longer support it. I've got the money, so I don't mind paying more now if I get more years of service out of it.
The other big factor for me is that the 8 uses Touch ID (thumbprint) which has worked well for me on the 5S, whereas the XR uses Face ID. I'm a bit concerned about the reliability of Face ID, because I have at two or three different "appearances." Indoors, I always wear eyeglasses. Outdoors, while driving, I wear large wraparound sunglasses on top of the eyeglasses. Outdoors, outside the car, I also usually wear a baseball-type cap. (Supposedly Face ID can handle caps or hats.)
So I'm a bit concerned whether Face ID can handle all these circumstances, even with its ability to define an "alternate appearance" (similar to an "alternate thumbprint" for Touch ID). If any of you all use an iPhone with Face ID, how well has it worked, and how often do you need to fall back on your passcode?