How to fix iPhone 8 Touch ID feature that is not working after updating to iOS version 11.4.1 [Troubleshooting Guide]

by

Touch ID is an advanced security feature found in later versions of iOS devices including iPhone 8 variants down to the iPhone 5s. You can use Touch ID to unlock and get into your device, when making purchases via Apple Pay, and most importantly helps protect critical information saved on your Apple device.

In order to make use of this feature, you need to set up Touch ID on your iPhone first. Once you have it’s set up, you can start using Touch ID to unlock your device, make and authorize purchases through your registered fingerprints. Definitely it’s an advanced security feature in iOS devices to-date.

But like any other advanced iOS features, Touch ID is also not free of having flaws as some factors can make it fail to work sometimes. This post will walk you through the standard procedures to troubleshoot and fix Touch ID on the iPhone 8 that is not working after installing an iOS update, particularly the iOS 11.4.1 version. While keeping the device software updated is imperative and highly recommended, there are also times you’d end up having trouble from doing so. And that denotes the need for you to troubleshoot software errors on your iPhone.

For owners who are looking for a solution to a different problem, drop by our troubleshooting page for we have already addressed some of the most common problems with this device. Browse through the page to find issues that are similar with yours and use the solutions we suggested. If they don’t work or if you need further assistance don’t hesitate to contact us by filling up our iPhone issues questionnaire.

Things to do and check before troubleshooting

When placing your finger on the Home button, make sure it covers the button completely and that it touches the surrounding metal ring. Do not tap too quick or move your finger around while Touch ID is scanning. If you’re using a casing or screen protector, make sure it does not block the Home button or the surrounding ring.

Dirt and oil may also hinder the phone from recognizing your fingerprint. Thus, make sure your fingers and Home button are dry and free from dirt. If necessary, wipe off any dirt or debris from the Home button with a clean, lint-free cloth.

Also make sure that your fingerprint is enrolled or registered. You can try enrolling a different finger and then see if that will work. More importantly, check and ensure that Touch ID & Passcode feature is enabled on your iPhone. To check, navigate to Settings-> Touch ID & Passcode menu then check and ensure that iPhone Unlock or iTunes & App Store option is turned on.

If Touch ID is still not working after checking all the above requisites, then you can take chances with the following solutions.

First solution: Reboot your iPhone 8 (soft reset).

Should this be just an occasional post-update hiccup, performing a soft reset or restarting your iPhone can take care of the problem. Follow these steps to soft reset your iPhone 8:

  1. Press and hold the Side/Power button until the Slide to Power Off command appears.
  2. Drag the slider to the right to turn your iPhone completely off.
  3. After 30 seconds, press and hold the Power button until the Apple logo appears and then release.

No need to create backups because this won’t affect any saved data on your device.

Second solution: Reset all settings on your iPhone 8.

It’s possible that your settings were overridden by the new system and eventually spoiled the iPhone’s Touch ID function. To clear this out, you can try to reset all settings on your iPhone 8 then set up Touch ID and enroll fingerprints again. Here’s how:

  1. Tap Settings from the Home screen.
  2. Tap General.
  3. Scroll to and tap Reset.
  4. Select Reset All Settings from the given options.
  5. If prompted, enter your passcode to continue.
  6. Then tap the option to confirm all settings reset.

Reboot your phone when the reset is finished and set up individual features you want to use including Touch ID.

Third solution: Factory reset your iPhone 8.

Performing a full system reset may be necessary to get rid of complex post-update errors on the phone. This will delete everything from your device including downloaded apps, customized settings, and personal data. Should you wish to continue with this reset, don’t forget to back up all critical data to iTunes or iCloud. Then you can factory reset your iPhone 8 from the settings menu or using iTunes on a computer. To factory reset through settings, follow these steps:

  1. Tap Settings.
  2. Tap General.
  3. Scroll to and tap Reset.
  4. Select the option to Erase All Content and Settings.
  5. If prompted, enter your device passcode to continue.
  6. Then tap the option to confirm reset.

To factory reset your iPhone 8 in iTunes, you will need to secure a Windows PC or Mac computer, with later or latest OS version and has the latest version of iTunes software installed. Connect your iPhone to the computer with the supplied Lightning cable, wait until it’s recognized in iTunes then follow the onscreen commands to reset iPhone to factory settings.

Your iPhone will restart by itself when the reset is finished. By then you can continue with the initial setup process and set up your iPhone as new. Software-related errors should already be cleared from the reset, and so the Touch ID feature should be working properly by then.

Fourth solution: Restore your iPhone 8 in iTunes.

If a factory reset failed to fix the problem, then performing an iOS restore would be the next option to consider. This will erase and restore iOS on your device. There are two ways to restore iOS in iTunes and that includes a recovery mode and DFU mode restore. You can restore your iPhone in recovery mode and set it up again in iTunes first. Here’s how:

  1. Connect your iPhone 8 to your computer with the supplied USB cable or Lightning cable.
  2. Press and release the Volume Up button, then quickly press and release the Volume Down button. Finally, press and hold the Side/Power button until the phone enters recovery mode. Don’t release the Side/Power button when the Apple logo appears.
  3. Release the Side/Power button only when you see the Connect to iTunes screen.
  4. Open iTunes on your computer and you should see a message saying that “There is a problem with the iPhone that requires it to be updated or restored.”
  5. Select the option to Restore.

This will then prompts iTunes to instigate system restore, reinstall iOS and download the software for your device. Wait until the download is finished and then proceed with the initial device setup process. If the download takes more than 15 minutes, your iPhone will exit the Connect to iTunes screen. If that happens, let the download finish and then go back to the previous steps to put your device in recovery mode again and complete the restore process.

After restoring your iPhone, set up Touch ID and then enroll your fingerprints again. If Touch ID is still not working after performing a recovery mode restore, then you may opt to continue to troubleshoot and try a DFU mode restore. This will be the last possible solution you can try on your end. It will put your device in a state where it’s able to communicate with iTunes on a computer even without activating the operating system.

A more detailed walkthrough on how DFU works and how it’s done can be found on our iPhone 8 Tutorials section. Feel free to visit our Troubleshooting page if you need to refer to the steps.

Seek more help

Contact Apple Support or your carrier to report the issue for other options and more advanced troubleshooting procedures. If you’re seeing any message like “Failed — update to complete Touch ID setup,” or error codes, relay that information to the support team so they can use that as clue to determine what exactly happened and how to rectify the error. Or you can just take your iPhone to an Apple Genius bar in your place and have it examined by an Apple authorized technician instead.

Connect with us

If you need more help with the use of certain functions and features of the Apple iPhone 7 smartphone, feel free to visit our Tutorial Page. There you can find a list of how-to contents, step-by-step tutorials, as well as answers to FAQs regarding iPhone 7. If you have other concerns or encountered some troubles while using the phone, you can reach us through this form. Just be sure to tell us more details of the problem or device issue(s) you may have and we will be more than happy to assist you further.

Posts you may also like to read: