IPhone without Touch ID - what kind of beast is it? What does an iPhone without a touch ID mean? What is the difference between an iPhone without a fingerprint?

Greetings! The article is dedicated to the upcoming New Year holidays, and at any other time, I think the information will be quite relevant and useful. Why did this instruction appear at all? The thing is that now on the market there are simply a lot of offers for selling iPhones with a non-working Apple ID fingerprint sensor. No, seriously, not only the entire Internet is littered with such devices, but also numerous “real” points of sale.

And the best thing about this whole situation is the price. Oh yeah! Everything is very good here. After all, for such a seemingly insignificant malfunction (and a non-functioning scanner is a breakdown), a fairly large discount is offered on the iPhone itself. Why not take it? Let's figure out together why you don't need to take it...

What usually sells:

1. iPhone (any model) with a non-functional fingerprint scanner.
2. The price for it is less (sometimes significantly) than for a similar product only with a functioning sensor.
3. The seller assures that this is a new and absolutely normal iPhone - it’s just refurbished (REF).

And because of the third point, confusion begins, because many have heard that Apple is releasing refurbished devices onto the market. And this is true, only they have nothing to do with an iPhone with a broken finger sensor...

iPhone without Touch ID - officially refurbished device or not?

No no and one more time no. Officially refurbished iPhones, the so-called “like new” ones, are fully functional devices. Everything works for them - from the battery to the notorious fingerprint sensor. They are produced at the Apple factory, tested, have a one-year warranty (and it is two years) and are supplied through official sales channels to dealers for sale. In general, everything is “OK” with them. I have already written about such devices - in the comments there is a lot of interesting information directly on the topic of this article.

Important! On a new original, real, factory (call it what you want) iPhone, the fingerprint sensor will always work. Always. If during the sale it is stated that the device is new and from the factory, but the scanner does not work, they are lying to you.

But iPhones without Touch ID (also supposedly officially restored) are a completely different story. Where, and most importantly, what are they collected from? It’s very difficult to find out specifically and for certain, but I’ll tell you in general terms now.

iPhone with a non-working scanner - what is it and where does it come from?

So, we found out that such devices are not produced by Apple, so where do they come from? Everything is very simple, these are ordinary used gadgets, only assembled from several devices. So to speak, “restored” by various craftsmen. A little more detail, using an example:

You have several iPhones with different breakdowns - the display of one does not work, the second is completely flooded with water, the third is fine, “only” the motherboard is broken. You take all three, combine them, buy spare parts from the Chinese - you have a “refurbished” iPhone.

It is clear that options are possible, but in general terms this is exactly what it looks like.

Why is the fingerprint scanner not working on these iPhones, is it difficult for the Chinese to fix it? Yes, it’s hard, and this is due to this:

The motherboard and the Home button (where the sensor is located) for one specific iPhone (the official one coming out of the factory) are a single whole. If you substitute a button from another phone, the sensor stops working. This is done so that no one can hack your iPhone simply by connecting another button to it. Safety and protection come first!

This connection can only be “broken” at the Apple factory, which is what they do when producing officially refurbished iPhones - where, I repeat, absolutely everything works.

Pros and cons of an iPhone with a broken Touch ID – can you buy it?

If you have not yet decided whether to buy such a device or not, then here is a list of the positive and negative aspects of such an event. Let's start with the cons. So, if the scanner does not work, it means:

• What exactly the iPhone was disassembled is unknown by whom and how.
• It is also assembled from something unknown - spare parts can be either original or “Chinese”.
• Considering the two previous points, even if everything works in it now (except for the sensor), it is still a time bomb - any component of such an iPhone can malfunction at any time and stop working.
• Inability to use Apple services based on a fingerprint (the same Apple Pay). And in general, the security of your personal data is at great risk.

Are there any advantages? Yes, there are two of them:

• Price – the cost of an iPhone with a defective scanner is always less (otherwise who will buy them?).
• You may be lucky and come across a successful device (more likely no than yes).

I hope that now everyone should have the right opinion about the advisability of buying an iPhone with a non-functioning Touch ID sensor. If it doesn’t work out, then I’ll give you a hint: buying such a device is a very big lottery with a minimal chance of winning, but with a huge opportunity to simply throw away money.

Updated! As I wrote, buying an iPhone without Touch ID is a big gamble. In my opinion there is no point in playing it. Moreover, you can save money when buying a normal iPhone. How? Instructions:

1. Among the stores you know, we find one where the price of an iPhone is cheaper and the refund on your purchase is higher.
2. Victory.

That's all - enjoy the phone and the money saved.

P.S. Agree that the information is useful - like the article, do a good deed :) And of course, write your questions in the comments. I will answer everyone!

Touch ID- a fingerprint scanner developed by Apple. Currently installed on iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone SE, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, as well as iPad Air 2, iPad Pro, iPad mini 3 and iPad mini 4 tablets According to Apple, Touch ID is deeply integrated into iOS 7 and newer: the sensor allows users to unlock their smartphone, as well as make purchases in the App Store, iTunes Store and iBookstore using one of their five fingerprints.

At the moment there are 2 types of sensors:

• Touch ID 1st generation (iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus)
• Touch ID 2nd generation. (iPhone 6s and later)

Story

Apple patented fingerprint sensor unlocking in 2008.

One of the first smartphones to feature a fingerprint scanner was the Motorola Atrix, introduced on January 5, 2011, although that smartphone did not integrate the fingerprint scanner as deeply into the operating system.

In 2012, Apple acquired AuthenTec, a company that developed fingerprint recognition technology, for $356 million. Since then, the appearance of a fingerprint scanner in Apple products has been expected.

On September 3, 2013, rumors appeared on the Internet that a fingerprint scanner would be one of the components of the iPhone 5s.

On September 10, 2013, at an Apple presentation, Phil Schiller, Apple's vice president of marketing, introduced Touch ID to the public.

Device

Touch ID is built into the Home button, which is covered with sapphire crystal, which has good scratch resistance. In addition, this glass acts as a lens. There is a metal ring around the sensor that allows you to detect a touch and activate Touch ID without directly pressing a button.

The capacitive CMOS sensor built into the gadget scans the fingertip using a resolution of 500 ppi (the size of one pixel is 170 microns), after which it recognizes the pattern, even if the finger is at different angles. According to Apple, the sensor reads information from the subcutaneous layer, which, however, does not create additional difficulties in use. The Touch ID CMOS sensor is a set of microcapacitors that create an image with the relief of the applied finger, that is, its fingerprint. The technology was developed by AuthenTec.

The sensor is integrated with a switch that registers pressing the Home button.

The mathematical image of the fingerprint is stored in a special zone of the Apple A7 central processor, protected using technology similar or compatible with ARM TrustZone.

Safety

Before you start using Touch ID, you must create a backup password. Without it, it is impossible to unlock the iPhone 5s after a reboot or if the device has not been used for more than 48 hours. This additional protection sets a time limit for attackers who try to somehow bypass Touch ID.

Touch ID was initially used only to unlock the smartphone and identify it when making purchases on iTunes and the App Store. With iOS 7, Apple does not allow third-party developers to use fingerprint sensor functionality in their iPhone 5s apps and accessories. The description of the iOS 8 operating system states that this restriction has been lifted, and the sensor has also begun to be used to confirm purchases in the Apple Pay payment system.

Encrypted biometric information is stored, according to Apple, only in the so-called Secure Enclave. Thus, the device does not store an image of a fingerprint, but a mathematical image of it. At the same time, Apple claims that it is impossible to restore a fingerprint from this image. It sits directly on the Apple A7 processor, making it harder for would-be attackers to try to get your fingerprint data. Secure Enclave is a Touch ID-optimized version of ARM TrustZone technology. Moreover, each individual Touch ID scanner is tied to a specific processor. This means that if you move the sensor from one iPhone to another, the scanner will lose its functionality.

In September 2013, a group of hackers called Chaos Computer Club managed to bypass the fingerprint protection on the new iPhone 5s. According to hackers, to gain access to someone else's iPhone, it is enough to get a clear fingerprint of its owner, for example, on a window glass. Next, this print is photographed with high resolution (2400 dpi), the image is processed in a photo editor and printed with a resolution of 1200 dpi on a laser printer on thick paper. The print is then filled with liquid latex, which is removed after drying. It turns out to be a “facsimile” of the fingerprint of the real user of the device. When placed on the finger of an attacker, it is perceived by Touch ID as the finger pad of the real owner of the smartphone. After this, a number of people were able to successfully repeat unlocking their iPhone using this method, but many noted that this process was fraught with a number of difficulties. In particular, obtaining a high-resolution image of a print is very difficult. Moreover, special equipment and expensive chemicals are required.

There is an opinion that fingerprints are still sent to a remote server. Thus, in September, a group of Anonymous hackers accused the National Security Agency of collecting fingerprints of iPhone 5s owners.

Criticism

Edition New York Magazine believes that until now, ordinary users were not interested in fingerprint scanning technology, since people preferred regular passwords. Only businessmen used biometric methods to protect their data. However, according to the magazine, Touch ID could be the technology that brings fingerprint scanning to the masses. In addition, journalists believe that if Apple opens access to Touch ID to third-party developers, the latter will begin to actively experiment with the scanner.

New York Magazine also notes that CMOS sensors can fail over time. However, the authors admit that Apple could find a way to significantly increase the service life of the sensor. Moreover, even with a failed sensor, access to the device can be obtained using a password. In addition, the article allows for the possibility that fingerprints can still be faked.

ZDNet proposes using Touch ID for two-factor authentication, which can only be hacked if the attacker knows the password and has a fingerprint. Forbes believes that if two-factor authentication using Touch ID becomes available in the future, it will be a significant security improvement.

Forbes notes the fact that fingerprint images are stored only in the device, and not in a centralized remote database, as extremely positive. In the same time, New York Magazine expresses concerns that various intelligence agencies, such as the American National Security Agency, may still somehow have access to fingerprints of Touch ID users.

Newspaper columnist News Denis Podolyak writes: “The idea of ​​such a module is not new. Another thing is that previous attempts to use a scanner in mobile devices were far from ideal: fingers were “read” every once in a while, and the procedure often had to be repeated - as a result, people abandoned this generally quite important function. And here, one might say, is the ideal embodiment of a fingerprint scanner: it is invisible, works quickly and correctly. Let's hope that Apple will allow Touch ID to work with third-party applications."

Buying an iPhone 6 without Touch ID. What's the catch? Is it worth buying?

I found a completely new, original, working IPhone 6. Everything is new - complete set, box, sealed, etc., not even activated. But there is one problem - Touch ID does not work. Of course, the price of this phone is cheaper than usual (2 times cheaper). I don’t need this fingerprint scanner, I’m only interested in one question - is this really a regular IPhone 6, but without touch id, or is there some kind of catch? Is it worth buying such a phone?

Ivan Malygin

What kind of idiots are you!!! This is a phone on which the screen was broken and the Touch ID was damaged.
And on every iPhone (starting from 5s) Touch id is tied to its own board and therefore the screen and home button on this phone have been changed. I myself bought such a phone, it has been working for 6 months

IPhone with/without touch id. What is the difference?

I’m planning to buy an iPhone 6 plus, naturally, I’m looking for a more profitable option in all respects. Recently I came across very attractive prices for this phone on Avito and Yule. But it confuses me, why is it so cheap? Who bought it? What do you say?

Paavo siljamaki

touchid is a sensor that goes directly to the phone board. and replacing the touchscreen means replacing the board itself, which is more expensive. That’s why they sell it without a working touchid (it won’t scan the fingerprint), but the button itself is fully functional, pressable, etc. These are unofficial phones, or rather they are official, IMEI is broken through and so on, but there is no such line of phones “without touchid.” just so to speak, some “craftsmen” change the battery there if necessary, the case and sell

The box of the original iPhone is made with high quality. On the back there should be stickers with a description and information about the model number, serial number and IMEI. If these stickers are not present, then it is definitely a fake. You can check your iPhone without opening the box.

To do this, go to the Apple code verification system, enter the serial number from the sticker on the box in the appropriate field, and if it passes and the website page shows reliable information, then everything is fine with your iPhone. All printing on the box must be of high quality.

For the 6th iPhone, there should not be a camera drawn on the front side of the phone’s sketch, and on the side there should be the inscription “iPhone” without any numbers.

• The iPhone itself (we'll look at it later)
• An envelope containing: a paperclip for opening the card slot. Original instructions, and most importantly - stickers of the Apple logo, that is, apples, which are missing in many Chinese counterfeits.
• American or European standard charger in a wrapper. Thus, you may need a charging adapter, which is sometimes given free of charge in the store when purchasing an iPhone, although there are exceptions with a Russian standard plug.
• Original EarPods headphones in a square glossy package with rounded edges and an apple engraving, in a wrapper. The headphones themselves can be distinguished by the metal mesh and the snow-white color of the headphones themselves.
• Original Lightning cable, also wrapped. You can distinguish it by its thin base. In most fakes it is more massive.

iPhone appearance

Now let's examine the phone itself. What should you pay special attention to?

1. First, there must be film on the display.
2. Secondly, take it in your hand and pay attention to the tactile sensations. How does the phone feel in your hand? A plastic fake can be identified immediately. The body of the original iPhone is made entirely of aluminum. The weight of the original iPhone 5 is 112 g, the iPhone 5s weighs 112 g, and the iPhone 6 weighs 129 g.
3. Look at the back panel and the inscriptions on it. The original iPhone never indicates the phone's memory capacity, unlike a fake one. Also pay attention to the font and color of the text, the color of the body. In the photo on the left, the original iPhone 5s is on the left, a copy is on the right. It can be seen that the color of the back panel is different, the fake one is darker, and the text color of the fake one is gray, while the original one is black. The text itself is the same, you can remember it. For other iPhone models, the text will be slightly different.
4. Pay special attention to the camera and flash. The original iPhone 5's LED is light and does not have the characteristic yellow color of a fake.
   
5. The original camera has a bezel, or in other words, a halo, it is wide. Many fakes have a narrow camera and no bezel. In the photo, the original iPhone 5s is on top, and the fake is on the bottom; note that the flashes are almost identical.
   
6. Let's take a look at the sides of the iPhone. There should be a slot for a nanosim card, I repeat for a NANOsim card, not for a microsim card, as is often the case with Chinese counterfeits. The slot for application should be compact and made neatly and efficiently, without any gaps. Press the volume buttons and the lock button. The buttons should click a little, and the “+” and “-” signs should be poured in, not drawn on. The switch should move smoothly, with a click, and not stick.
   
   
7. Let's look at the bottom edge. The iPhone bolts are real and small, as opposed to large and/or fake (plastic plugs) for counterfeiting, but there are exceptions. The photo shows that the fake has larger bolts.
   
8. Let's move on to the front side of the iPhone. Take a close look at the switched off display; it should be dark, tinted and should not stand out particularly against the background of the rest of the surface (in the case of a black iPhone). In fakes, the display is lighter and stands out well; this difference is clearly visible in the photo (fake iPhone 5s on the right, original on the left).
   

Software component

We're done with the exterior, let's now move on to the insides, or rather to the software component of the iPhone.

Device price

It doesn't take an expert to figure out that a $200 iPhone isn't an iPhone at all. Don’t be fooled by the cheapness, buy in good stores, and use these instructions - this will protect you from purchasing a fake. Buying a copy of an iPhone or its original is up to you; there are also quite worthy copies.

Conclusion

By following these instructions, you can protect yourself from purchasing a counterfeit. Remember that there are a lot of fakes, they can be of very high quality, the more points you check, the greater the guarantee that you will purchase an original iPhone. Be careful when purchasing.

New technologies in most cases are very good, but only when they work correctly. Today we’ll talk about iPhone without Touch ID, what it is and what solutions there are to the problem.

A fingerprint scanner can be found in almost every modern smartphone today. Reliable, of course, but sometimes very problematic.

Touch ID doesn't work on iPhone

Starting with the iPhone 5S, the smartphones that Apple creates began to introduce a new technology to protect your phone’s data, and it’s called Touch ID.

The idea is quite simple: a fingerprint scanner is placed in the Home button and instead of entering a password, you can simply put your finger on it. Also used for online shopping.

Can't complete Touch ID setup

Now let's get to the heart of the problem, many iPhone 5S and 6 users complained about an error that prevents them from completing the Touch ID setup.

The meaning of Touch ID is tritely simple: the phone houses a processor and a fingerprint scanner is attached to it in hardware.

This means that if the scanner is damaged in any way, it will not be possible to replace it. If you install a button from another device, it simply will not work.

The reasons for this situation are as follows:

• damage to the cable when replacing the display;
• damage when a smartphone falls;
• buying a used device.

When this problem appears in your gadget, most often we just continue to use the device, just without the scanner (you need to disable it completely in the settings so that there is no error).

If you just bought a phone, then this is either a manufacturing defect, or they sold you a refurbished iPhone. We immediately ask the store to exchange the device for a new one.

With each new model, Apple tries to improve this technology and problems with the latest models are extremely rare.

And after the appearance of the Home touch button in the iPhone 7, I think errors will only occur after the cable is damaged.

Should you buy an iPhone without Touch ID?

If you are looking for a new or used iPhone in stores, then it is likely to come across phones without a working Touch ID and they cost much less than others.


In general, the smartphone is no worse and can serve you for quite a long time. Some friends have bought these phones and are quite happy with them.

Whether to buy such an iPhone is an individual matter:

• Perfectionists- if you like everything to work perfectly, then this option immediately disappears. I myself am one of those people, and even if I don’t use this function, I want it to work correctly.
• Still on Touch ID- if you understand that this function is not so important to you, then you can safely take such a gadget for yourself and you will save a lot of money.

And once again I want to remind you that such devices work no worse than others, they just don’t have a working scanner. I wrote about the reasons for its failure a little higher.

conclusions

In fact, the issue of a non-working Touch ID on an iPhone is quite a troublesome topic, especially for service centers that repair Apple equipment.

In fact, this is all I wanted to tell you about this and if there are additional points that I forgot to mention or you want to see in the article, write below.

The fingerprint scanner (or Touch ID) is an innovative data identification system that first appeared on the iPhone 5s. The technology was created and patented by Apple back in 2008, and later built into the Home button. Touch ID allows you to make purchases in company programs such as iBookstore, iTunes, Apple Pay, etc. In order to start using it, you need to make a couple of fingerprints of any fingers that are automatically included in the “trusted list” - those that can unlock your iPhone without the traditional password entry. Bypassing the technology is quite labor-intensive and can only be done by hackers, who each time come up with new tricks to bypass the system. In general, a scanner is a pretty useful thing, especially if you want to quickly make a series of purchases, actions, etc.

But is it possible to buy an iPhone without this unique system?

Of course, sometimes you want to please your loved one with a brand new smartphone or treat yourself with a long-awaited purchase, but it’s good to save money at the same time. During the holidays, this issue is especially acute and “brand new iPhones” appear on the shelves of many specialized stores with only one minor problem - a breakdown of the fingerprint scanner. The price of such Apple products is pleasantly surprising compared to their expensive “touched” brothers, but is it necessary to purchase them?

Often the seller assures customers of the absolute suitability of such phones, calling them “refurbished”. You should not trust such a dealer, he is deceiving you! You need to clearly know that “refurbished” iPhones are only those that used to have one, but were then completely repaired and tested at official Apple factories. They are no different from regular products and only have the underlining “like new” inscription.

On average, such products go through the following scheme:

1. The client purchases the product, but soon discovers a malfunction in it (poor quality screen, broken camera, damaged connector, charging problems, etc.).
2. An exchange of goods occurs if the breakdown is a factory one: the client is given another phone of the same series, and the defective one is sent back to the Apple workshop.
3. There it undergoes reconstruction, almost all components are replaced, except for the motherboard and a few more working parts. The device undergoes additional testing and, if satisfied with the results, it is sent back for sale, paired with other accessories.
4. The device has the inscription “like new”.

But then what about the broken fingerprint ID?

Where did these phones come from?

Devices of this kind are not certified products assembled under the Apple brand. Most often these are so-called “left-handed” smartphones made in China. They are created from individual parts of other defective iPhones, taking all the most “usable” parts and mixing them into seemingly brand new products. There are entire underground workshops engaged in the production of low-quality “prefabricated” ones. Since Touch ID is directly integrated with the system and motherboard, if you replace other parts and the Home button, it will not work.

Is it worth buying a product like this?

If you are not afraid of the origin of your purchase, then in principle you can use it normally, but you should be prepared for the worst. This transformer can malfunction at any moment and exhibit some unpleasant properties after some time, especially since practically no one will give you a guarantee and you will have to solve the problem yourself later. Of course, this is not a fact, but in this case one cannot rely on stability either. Another not-so-good surprise is that the “collection” may later stop carrying software updates. You will simply lose the opportunity to connect with new features in the interface and other “tricks”. Or you will simply not be sure of the safety of your personal data, which is very, very likely, given the reputation of “transformers”.

Conclusion:

iPhone without Touch ID - should I buy it or not? It’s better to buy factory products, and then you won’t have to expect anything bad from your phone, which will serve you for many years. Although you can also try your luck, because not every product is obviously spoiled.

Today the price for iPhone 6 with touch ID starts from 11,500 rubles.

The cost of iPhone 6S with touch ID is from 16,000 rubles.

The price of iPhone 5S without touch ID is from 7,500 rubles (on Avito).