Touch ID on the iPad Mini

Durham, NC

Last year, I sold my 11" M1 iPad Pro after experimenting with some e-ink devices. After some time and a bit of family device shuffling, I’ve found myself rocking an iPad mini for over a month now.

I often have issues using fingerprint readers over time (my hands peel due to allergies), so FaceID has been a key selling point and motivator for me to get the Pro line of iPads. However, now that I’ve been using the mini for a while, I’ve realized that in fact, Touch ID may be ideal on a tablet, and the iPad mini in particular.

Here are just a few benefits I’ve noticed so far:

1. Touch ID works more reliably than I expected. Nearly every time I touch it, it works. FaceID would often get upset if I didn’t ’look at it’ correctly.

2. It functions perfectly in low or even no light. This is especially useful when reading in bed at night.

3. By scanning multiple fingers (and possibly your palm), TouchID works no matter how the device is orientated or how it’s being held. By comparison, FaceID doesn’t work when the camera is accidentally covered or oriented poorly.

While I do think FaceID is a fantastic technology, there are still situations where TouchID has its advantages. In a perfect world, we’d have devices with both methods, but I doubt that will happen due to cost. It would be nice though.