A Guide to Touch ID and Passcode settings for iOS and iPadOS

In this guide, I'll be teaching you how to use Touch ID on your iPhone, if you have never used it.

Why Is This Guide Necessary?

It may seem like people who are reading this guide already are familiar with TOUCH ID and passcode settings, and it may seem like this guide isn't as necessary, since there is a "Getting Started with your First iOS device" link, but I want to help out people who are just starting with an iPhone.

Requirements

As far as I've heard, Touch ID is only available for the devices below, with newer devices incorporating Face ID instead:

• iPhone 5S through iPhone 8, including all generations of the iPhone SE
• iPad Pro (2015-2017)
• iPad Air (2014 and later)

In this guide, I will be using the Touch ID layout of my iPhone 6S 64GB.

What Is Touch ID?

Touch ID is a fingerprint recognition system that helps secure your phone. It works in line with your passcode, so you can't have TOUCH ID as an option unless you have set a desired passcode.

To use Touch ID, you place your finger on the home button, and it unlocks your phone.

How do I Get Touch ID Up and Running?

As said above, Touch ID requires a passcode before you can use it. To set a passcode, go to Settings>Touch ID and Passcode. If you launch Touch ID and Passcode with a passcode already set, you will be prompted to enter it to continue. If you do not have a passcode set, it will just open without any prompts.

We are just going to assume you don't have a passcode set, for people who don't. Most of the other buttons will be dimmed, except Turn Passcode On. Select "Turn Passcode on," and type in your 4-digit passcode. If you do not want a 4-digit code, you can select "Passcode Options," and change it to 6-digit Numeric Code, or a Custom passcode consisting of letters and numbers, as long as you want.

Type in your desired passcode, and if using custom, press done. If you are using limited digits, it will automatically recognize it.

After this you will be asked to re-enter your passcode. Enter the same passcode you used the first time, and hit Done or it will automatically recognize.

Warning: Choose a passcode that you can remember, but that's hard for others to guess.

Now that you have your passcode enabled, the buttons that were previously dimmed will now be available to toggle.

Configuring TOUCH ID

Finally, we've reached where you can configure TOUCH ID.

Under the FINGERPRINTS heading, an "Add a Fingerprint" button is available. Double-tap this button, and you will be asked to place your finger. Place the desired finger on the home button, and you will feel your phone vibrate.

When VoiceOver says "lift your finger," and your phone vibrates, lift it. Then it will say "Place your finger," and you do the same thing again. Do this at least seven times until you get to the "Adjust your Grip" screen.

Adjusting your grip basically allows you to capture the edges of your finger that Touch ID might of missed. Keep doing the same thing, placing your finger, lifting it when your phone vibrates, but this time, try to shift your finger a bit to get some edges. This is recommended so TOUCH ID doesn't say "try again" to you when you try to unlock your phone.

Warning: Don't shift too much, or your phone will prompt you to stop moving your finger.

Now that Touch ID is set up, you can do a few things.

Using it with Other Apps

Some apps support the Touch ID feature, like the App Store. If you enable App Store in the Use Touch ID for section, just above the fingerprints heading, you can use TOUCH ID to confirm app store or iTunes Store downloads. Apple Pay, also if enabled, can be used with TOUCH ID as well.

Conclusion

I hope this guide helped everyone who is new to TOUCH ID. My contact info is below. Have fun!

E-mail: tunmi12@icloud.com.