There are plenty of pros and cons to discuss about Face ID and Touch ID. One that I rarely see mentioned, however, is aging.
A common complaint I’ve seen since Touch ID’s early days is that the sensor can eventually lose accuracy, requiring multiple attempts to unlock the device. Most of the time, Touch ID just needs to be reset and re-trained, which makes me wonder if the technology has trouble with changes to our fingerprints and environment.
While I have seen people have trouble with Face ID recognizing them, it feels to me like this occurs less frequently than Touch ID.
One group I have regularly seen have trouble with Touch ID across the board is aging people and senior citizens. As far as I can tell, Touch ID has a much higher failure rate with them, including at setup. Throw in factors like drying skin and fingers that can change significantly with age, and I suspect the tech just can’t keep up.
On the other hand, Face ID seems to have a much higher success rate with older folks. Apple touts the tech’s ability to learn as our faces change with makeup, beards, wrinkles, and hats. Whether it’s by design or an indirect perk, I wonder if Face ID is more adept at authenticating us throughout the days of our lives.