General How many fingers can be used to make one touchId

[ForkHandles]

I recently discovered that two fingers can be used to make one touchID. I have just tried 3 different fingers and my IPhone gives access to each of the digits.
This means that the five touchID slots can be used to store fifteen different fingerprints, or at least 10 fingers and five toes!

I would be interested in reading how many different fingerprint you can register for each of the touchId slots.

I would also love to know how it works as I kind of thought it was a little more secure than that.

 

[C DM]

And how exactly does one go about storing multiple prints in one slot?

 

[ForkHandles]

Simple

Choose two fingers that haven't been registered, middle and ring perhaps.

Open up touchID and select Add fingerprint.

ALTERNATE middle for one press, ring for the next, middle again, ring again.

Keep going and both prints will be registered.

Close off the phone, unlock it again with either of your new fingers!
​

Unsurprisingly the fingers don't have to be from the same hand or even the same person.

UPDATE: My son has just managed to record four different fingerprints on on slot.

 

[Dino F]

Simple

Choose two fingers that haven't been registered, middle and ring perhaps.

Open up touchID and select Add fingerprint.

ALTERNATE middle for one press, ring for the next, middle again, ring again.

Keep going and both prints will be registered.

Close off the phone, unlock it again with either of your new fingers!
​

Unsurprisingly the fingers don't have to be from the same hand or even the same person.

UPDATE: My son has just managed to record four different fingerprints on on slot.

...surely this would just confuse the software though?

 

[decafjava]

Ok, but why? I really only use my left thumb though I have recorded both thumbs and index fingers.

 

[Armen]

Simple

Choose two fingers that haven't been registered, middle and ring perhaps.

Open up touchID and select Add fingerprint.

ALTERNATE middle for one press, ring for the next, middle again, ring again.

Keep going and both prints will be registered.

Close off the phone, unlock it again with either of your new fingers!
​

Unsurprisingly the fingers don't have to be from the same hand or even the same person.

UPDATE: My son has just managed to record four different fingerprints on on slot.

You're going to break it by doing this but, be my guest. Just don't come back posting "stupid touch ID doesn't work" in a few weeks. Some other user here had the same brilliant idea and he registered 2 fingers in the same slot and touch ID kept getting confused and validating neither set of prints in turn making touch ID not work properly.

 

[Tom G.]

Apparently Touch ID has gotten much better at recognizing fingerprints.

When it first came out, one trick that many, including myself, used to ensure it worked was to put the same fingerprint on different slots.

Now it appears that you can put different fingerprints in the same slots.

 

[gordon1234]

This is not likely to work reliably. Touch ID is a learning system, and updates the reference scan every time you scan your finger. Having different non-matching references in one slot is going to confuse that. Either all but the one you use more frequently are going to stop working as it tunes the reference, or you may just get in a state where none of them work reliably. Touch ID already lets you record multiple fingers, and they certainly don't have to be from the same person. Why not use that functionality?

 

[Mlrollin91]

This is not likely to work reliably. Touch ID is a learning system, and updates the reference scan every time you scan your finger. Having different non-matching references in one slot is going to confuse that. Either all but the one you use more frequently are going to stop working as it tunes the reference, or you may just get in a state where none of them work reliably. Touch ID already lets you record multiple fingers, and they certainly don't have to be from the same person. Why not use that functionality?

You're going to break it by doing this but, be my guest. Just don't come back posting "stupid touch ID doesn't work" in a few weeks. Some other user here had the same brilliant idea and he registered 2 fingers in the same slot and touch ID kept getting confused and validating neither set of prints in turn making touch ID not work properly.

I have been using multiple prints on one scan since the launch of the iPhone 5s. Have done so since I got my iPhone 6 in September as well. I have both thumbs registered as one and both index fingers registered as another. I have not had a single problem with my prints being read. You cannot break Touch ID. You can confuse it, but in my case no such confusion has occurred. That being said YMMV.

 

[LoveToMacRumors]

It works but I decided to add 2 fingerprints on 2 different slot rather than put 2 fingerprints on 1 slot. It works better and it is more reliable.

 

[saberahul]

I have every family members toes setup for Touch ID. My family includes 2 dogs, 3 cats, 4 mice, 6 humans, and 14 hamsters.

 

[C DM]

I have been using multiple prints on one scan since the launch of the iPhone 5s. Have done so since I got my iPhone 6 in September as well. I have both thumbs registered as one and both index fingers registered as another. I have not had a single problem with my prints being read. You cannot break Touch ID. You can confuse it, but in my case no such confusion has occurred. That being said YMMV.

Any reasoning for that given that separate slots can simply used for those?

 

[gardiboy]

I have every family members toes setup for Touch ID. My family includes 2 dogs, 3 cats, 4 mice, 6 humans, and 14 hamsters.

How do u register your mice's paws on touch ID?

 

[Mlrollin91]

Any reasoning for that given that separate slots can simply used for those?

I use all 5 slots. I use 4 slots for myself and I give one slot to my girlfriend (nothing to hide from her so I could care less, we've been together for over 6 years).

 

[C DM]

I use all 5 slots. I use 4 slots for myself and I give one slot to my girlfriend (nothing to hide from her so I could care less, we've been together for over 6 years).

So it sounds like you are doing single finger for each of your slots based on what fingers you mentioned earlier.

 

[Mlrollin91]

So it sounds like you are doing single finger for each of your slots based on what fingers you mentioned earlier.

Yes, so I have two that are doubles and 2 that are singles plus my girlfriend's single. But my doubles are the ones that are used 90% of the time.

 

[GlenK]

I have thumb and forefinger of each hand in there so I can use touch while sitting down without using thumb. Just lay forefinger on there and it works great.

 

[saberahul]

How do u register your mice's paws on touch ID?

Easy - you put a tiny bit of cheddar cheese on the home button and when she goes to grab it, the touch ID registers her paw.

 

[mjz147]

Off topic a bit, not as much as the cats lol,
But I entered in my left thumb (used the most to unlock) Twice (2 different fingers according to iPhone) and it may be a placebo but mine always works perfectly and unlocks within a second.