Is there a 5s without a fingerprint. What does an iPhone without Touch Id mean?

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Some sellers offer iPhones without Touch ID. The main advantage of such gadgets is their low cost. Let's look at the question of whether it is worth paying attention to this product at all.

This article is suitable for all iPhone 11/Xs(r)/X/8/7/6 and Plus models running iOS 13. Older versions may have different or missing menu items and hardware support listed in the article.

Touch ID fingerprint scanner

A similar new system first appeared on the iPhone 5s. It is responsible for identifying data and is now being built into the Home key.

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Using Touch ID, you can make purchases through Apple Pay, iTunes, etc. To start working with the option, you need to make a couple of fingerprints of several of your fingers, after which this data will be added to the trusted list. Using the entered fingerprint, you will be able to unlock the gadget without entering a password.

This type of blocking is very difficult to bypass, and only hackers are capable of this, constantly developing new methods of bypassing the security system. Overall, this scanner is a useful thing, especially if you want to quickly make actions and purchases.

iPhone without Touch ID

Now on the technology market, iPhones with a broken Touch ID function are sold at a fairly reasonable price. A non-functioning fingerprint scanner is not a critical problem for many users. Therefore, because of a significant discount, they purchase such gadgets.

Is such a purchase profitable? Let's look at this issue in detail. Often the consumer is offered the following equipment:

iPhone of any generation with a broken scanner.
The cost of such a gadget is significantly lower than with a working scanner.
According to the seller, the device was simply restored.

Because of the 3rd point, confusion begins, because... Everyone knows that Apple sells refurbished phones. But the faulty Touch ID has nothing to do with the restored devices.

In officially restored iPhones, Touch ID always works. Such devices are tested and guaranteed.

The official factory iPhone always comes with a functioning scanner. A broken scanner indicates that the smartphone is no longer new.

Where did these iPhones without fingerprints come from?

In this situation we are talking about devices that were assembled on the basis of several smartphones. I offer an example:

You have several iPhones that have some kind of breakdown. One gadget has a software malfunction, the second one has a broken main plan, and the third one is simply filled with juice.
You assemble one from different parts of 3 devices. If any parts are missing, buy Chinese analogues.
You receive a refurbished and ready-to-sell gadget.

Similar “miracles” of repair are performed by craftsmen in different countries of the world.

The Touch ID sensor is not restored in this situation for the following reasons:

The complexity of the process. In the gadget, the “Home” key is combined with the system board into one whole element. If you substitute such a key from another device, the scanner simply will not work. This is due to an additional level of protection for the gadget against hacking.
Only Apple factory workers are capable of hacking such a “kit.” They perform this operation completely legally, releasing functional iPhones to the market.

A broken Touch ID scanner indicates the following:

The advantages of an iPhone without Touch ID are as follows.

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 fingertip 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

When buying an expensive smartphone, you always want to save money. Some Belarusian online stores offer “officially refurbished” iPhone 6s without a Touch ID fingerprint scanner at a price almost half the market average. We tried to figure out what these gadgets are.

Touch ID is a fingerprint scanner developed by Apple. Now it is installed in all 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 tablets, the iPad Pro line, iPad mini 3 and iPad mini 4 .

"Refurbished by an Apple subsidiary"

For example, one of the Minsk online stores offers an iPhone 6 without Touch ID for 520 rubles. At the same time, the market price of such a smartphone with 16 GB of internal memory is from 804 rubles.

When we called, they explained to us that this is a completely original Apple device. It simply has “the fingerprint sensor turned off,” so the cost of the device was significantly reduced. Upon purchase, the seller gives his own one-year warranty in one of the Minsk service centers.

Another online store offers a smartphone a little more expensive - for 530 rubles.

When asked about the originality of the device, we were told that the smartphone had undergone a factory restoration process at one of Apple’s “subsidiaries” (it seems they decided not to write about this on the website).

According to the seller, apart from the non-working fingerprint scanner, the gadget has no other differences from the original iPhone 6. The warranty is also provided in one of the Minsk service centers.

In the third online store, Apple smartphones are also inexpensive - only 580 rubles for an iPhone 6 without Touch ID.

The store itself assured that the gadget was restored at the official Apple factory (this is also indicated on the website). As in previous cases, the warranty is offered for one year at a private service center.

What kind of refurbished smartphones are they?

Apple does produce refurbished iPhones. These are used devices that the owners returned due to a malfunction or under an exchange program for a newer device (trade-in).

Such gadgets are sent to Apple partner factories, where, if necessary, all faulty parts in the devices are replaced, then a new display, battery and case are installed.

After this, the smartphones undergo factory tests, receive new serial numbers and are then packaged. It comes with new headphones and a charger. There should be no problems with such devices. The packaging must be marked REF or RFB.

Where did Touch ID go?

How to protect yourself when buying an iPhone?

1. Try to buy smartphones from official sellers of Apple equipment (operator showrooms, large networks, like Svyaznoy or Euroset).

2. Check that the packaging is not damaged.

3. The serial number and IMEI must match everywhere: on the box, on the device and in the smartphone settings.

4. If the device is refurbished, there must be a mark on the box indicating this - the letters RFB. These smartphones also come with an official Apple warranty, but are cheaper.

5. Enter the serial number of your smartphone on a special page on the Apple website. If the device is original, the system will recognize its model and display information about the warranty status.

It is important that there is a checkmark in the “Valid Purchase Date” field - this confirms that the device is original and purchased from Apple.

All original iPhones - new and refurbished - are eligible for technical support and repairs for a year after activation.

Look how much original Apple smartphones cost in Belarus today.

Today you can buy an iPhone that has a broken Touch ID (fingerprint sensor) at an affordable price. It would seem that a non-working scanner is not a critical failure, and for the sake of a fairly large discount it is not worth refusing such a lucrative offer. But is it? Let's try to answer.

So, as a rule, we are offered to buy:

An iPhone (of any generation) that does not have a fingerprint scanner;
The cost of an Apple device is lower (often significantly) than a similar smartphone, but with a working scanner;
The seller claims that the phone is completely ordinary and even new. Price reduced due to iPhone being refurbished (REF).

The third point leads to confusion. Many people know that the Apple company actually offers refurbished smartphones. However, the latter have nothing in common with iPhones with faulty Touch ID.

Faulty Touch ID on iPhone. Is the smartphone officially restored or not?

The answer is always negative. If the smartphone is officially restored, then all its systems and mechanisms work 100%. Such iPhones are produced at Apple-branded factories, undergo numerous tests and are sold with a warranty (1-2 years).

Remember! If the iPhone is “factory, original, new, real,” its fingerprint scanner will definitely function. Malfunctions of the fingerprint sensor indicate that the phone is not new and not from the factory.

Where do iPhones with non-functional Touch ID come from?

In fact, in such cases we are talking about ordinary used gadgets assembled from several phones. Let's look at an example:

You are the owner of several Apple iPhones with various malfunctions. One has a software glitch, another has a broken system board, the third you have filled with juice;
You take three gadgets apart and create one from them. If some spare parts are missing, buy cheap Chinese parts;
You have a “refurbished” iPhone in your hands, which you are ready to sell, because you yourself understand how low the quality of the smartphone is.

These are the “healing miracles” of smartphones that craftsmen, including those from China and Russia, are doing.

But why not restore Touch ID then? Because this process is difficult:

The manufacturer has combined the motherboard and the Home button (which houses the sensor) into one. Substitute a button from another smartphone, and the sensor will refuse to function. This is provided to reliably protect iPhones from hacking;
Only employees of Apple factories can “hack” such a “kit.” This is what they do legally, subsequently offering fully functional iPhones.

To take or not to take? A non-working Touch ID indicates that:

The smartphone was exactly dismantled, by whom and how it is unknown;
The phone was also assembled by someone unknown and using unknown parts (certified or Chinese - a surprise for the future owner);
iPhone failure, for the above reasons, can happen at any time. The breakdown may not have anything to do with the scanner at all;
Any Apple service, such as Apple Pay, that requires a fingerprint will not be available to you. Your personal data is always at risk.

But there are also positive aspects. Unfortunately, there are not many of them:

Low cost (otherwise, who needs such smartphones);
The opportunity to “win at roulette” by purchasing a working device (although the chances, as statistics show, are small).

If you still decide to buy a refurbished iPhone, please contact our service center. We will carry out professional diagnostics of your smartphone and tell you about its “hidden features”.

What password can be called the most reliable and at the same time constantly accessible to the owner of the equipment? Fingerprint. The new Touch ID uses a fingerprint sensor as a means of identification. This method allows you to quickly connect to another Apple device and at the same time be confident in the security of the stored data.

Of course, the question immediately arises: Touch ID - what is it? The device itself, the technology or, in general, the phone model? Apple Touch ID is a technology that involves the use of a sensor that recognizes the user's unique fingerprint pattern. The unlocking process is simple: just place your finger on the Home button. The installed sensor reads the received data from absolutely any angle and in any way the iPad is positioned.

The iPad mini 3 unlock button is made of sapphire glass, which is enclosed in a stainless steel ring. Each part: the ring detects touch, and the glass part transmits fingerprint data to the sensor. The reading program performs a comparative analysis and signals compliance. It is noteworthy that the Touch ID sensor performs the entire operation within a fraction of a second.

Advantages of the technology:

Speed of response and minimum number of required operations.
Security of confidential information (thanks to the specific architecture of the A7 processor).
User information security (the password and fingerprint used cannot be copied or transferred in any way, and is also not available to the OS and applications).
Authorization in applications (Touch ID technology is already integrated to simplify the process of confirming actions or signing).
Using a fingerprint, you can confirm the purchase and iTunes - using Touch ID technology will eliminate the need to enter payment data and passwords.

How to enable and configure Touch ID?

Unfortunately, it is not yet possible to put a single checkmark to implement the functions of the technology. Then a logical question arises: how to enable Touch ID?

Initial setup

First of all, you should deal with the initial setup. She :

Before starting the process, thoroughly wipe the button and fingers.
Enter a four-digit password that you have created, which the program will use without recognizing the fingerprint (the request is also possible after a reboot, two days after the last unlocking of the device, or to access functions).
Holding the device as if you normally press “Home”, place your finger on the button (a light touch is enough) and hold it until there is a slight vibration or until the system signals that you can remove your finger.
After the initial recognition is completed, the system asks you to change the position of the pad - this is necessary to complete the scanning. Now you need to attach the edges of the fingertip.

If the device is activated, then the initial setup can be done through the main menu: by going to “Settings”, select “Touch ID and password”, then “Fingerprints”. The system itself will offer to go through the described registration process and about fingerprints.

Activation methods

If you can't set up Touch ID, you can use the sensor for purchases and password entry. To unlock an iPhone using technology, simply wake it up from sleep mode by pressing the “Power” or “Home” buttons, and then place your finger on the “Home” button. To use the sensor as an account identifier, you need to go to the settings section, then select “Touch ID and password” and activate “iTunes Store, App Store”. When downloading content, the system will inform you that you need a fingerprint on your iPad or other device.

Authorization using a scanner is activated separately, in the settings. Below are the relevant Steps to activate Touch ID on iPhone 5s, iPhone 6 Plus with iOS 8 and iPhone 6 in the updated free 1Password app:

Open “Settings” (tab located on the bottom panel of the program).
Select the “Security” section.
Scroll to the tab with the name of the technology.
Switch the toggle switch to the “On” position.

Now the entrance to the program is available after pressing the fingertip against the sensor for a second!

Non-working function: defective or improper operation?

Undoubtedly, but what should you do if Touch ID stops working or does not work initially? There may be several reasons for this:

Household reasons (incomplete coverage of the button with a fingertip, contamination of the sensor, and even others). It should be noted that most of the complaints about Touch ID not working well fall precisely under this and the next category.
Just a glitch in the recognition program. In this case, it is better to register a different fingerprint.
There is, unfortunately, such an option as marriage. An indicator of such a situation is the lack of effect from rebooting the device and a scanning error. Moreover, it does not matter whether the defect was made at the production stage or by a rogue seller who assembled one iPhone out of two without taking into account the binding of the Touch ID sensor to “its” processor, the phone will still have to be taken to a service center.

With customization of the functionality, the functions in each application are more than covered by convenience, speed of operation and optimization of purchasing processes. Although the possibility of a marriage that could bring trouble cannot be ruled out.