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by jmyeet 1211 days ago
I still miss the home button on the iPhone. I know it takes up what otherwise would be screen space. I know it's been years. But the UX of what we have now is so much worse.

Touch ID is significantly better than Face ID. Way less false positives. Way less false failures that force you to enter your passcode. You can use it in the dark. You can use it in your pocket. I ditched my iPad Pro for an iPad Air specifically because it has Touch ID rather than Face ID>

Want to exit the app? Tap the home button. Select an app? Double tap?

What's wrong with swiping up? Where you swipe from varies depending on the orientation of the app. That may not always be obvious. With a photo for example. Is it oriented a way because of the phone's rotation when it was taken or because of the phone's rotation now? The gesture to get to app selection is super awkward (ie swipe up-right-up). It's so awkward.

Why can't apple put Touch ID on the back? Or on the sides? Why can't they have a physical home button (even one of the haptic feedback buttons) on the back?

Losing the home button is such a UX fail.

4 comments

100% this.

I still have last iPhone SE and I love the home button. (it's not my daily driver).

I also had oneplus 3 with very similar home button and genius fingerprint reader. I was able to unlock my phone with index finger without having to lift it up in any way from eh desk and quickly glimpse on the content.

no i switched to new Samsung with has optic under display one and its just an utter failure. very often it can't read the fingerprint and... its location is not tahr obvious before slightly lighting the screen.

with OP3 Or iPhone SE i can find that button without hassle even in the dark.

> You can use it in the dark.

You can use Face ID in the dark.

>Why can't apple put Touch ID on the back? Or on the sides?

Yes, please!

iPhone 13 is my first one without Touch ID since 5S back in 2013. I hate Face ID, and the additions within the past year to accommodate masks and glasses only help a little.

I also have an inexpensive Android phone, a year older than the 13, with a touch ID sensor on the back. Why can't Apple do the same with iPhone?

> Why can't apple put Touch ID... on the sides?

It already has for certain iPad models, and rumors were it was coming to the iPhone SE 4 but that's delayed now (if not cancelled). But it's likely it will come to whatever budget successor phone Apple reveals next.