iPhone Duo Reviews Highlight Touch ID Friction Without Face ID

Apple’s iPhone Duo is drawing criticism over its Touch ID unlocking experience, with several reviewers saying they miss Face ID. Reviews published October 21 describe a pause before reaching the Home Screen and difficulty consistently placing a registered finger on the side-mounted sensor, according to MacRumors.

Marques Brownlee attributed the slower feel to a deliberate pause rather than a slow fingerprint reader, MacRumors reported. Keeping a finger on the button takes the user beyond the Lock Screen, while his workaround was to wake the phone, swipe up and then touch the sensor.

Apple told Engadget the delay preserves consistency with other Touch ID devices and lets users see Lock Screen notifications. That explanation frames the pause as an interface choice, although reviewers differed over whether the resulting experience felt convenient or unnecessarily hesitant.

The complaints extend beyond timing. In PetaPixel’s review, Jaron Schneider said the button frequently produced an error vibration when he was simply picking up or repositioning the phone. He also described having to rotate the device to bring a registered finger into position when authentication was required.

Those difficulties sit within a broader adjustment to the folding phone’s handling. Schneider said he was still occasionally fumbling after a week, including grabbing it with the wrong fingers for Touch ID. His account suggests that sensor placement and the way users hold the device can matter alongside recognition speed.

An Apple Watch offered Schneider a more comfortable alternative. He reported that automatic watch-based unlocking was faster than using Touch ID and reduced the friction he had encountered. However, that workaround depends on having another device, rather than making the fingerprint interaction itself easier.

Other reviewers described similar frustrations, according to MacRumors. Joanna Stern reported continued difficulty after registering five fingers, while Mrwhosetheboss noted problems with recently washed or slightly greasy hands. These are individual testing experiences, not evidence that every owner will encounter the same problems or struggle to the same degree.

The response was not uniformly negative. The Verge said a week was enough to readjust to Touch ID and found it largely painless once the habit returned. Its review nevertheless described moments of looking at the phone and waiting for notifications before remembering that facial authentication was unavailable.

That distinction matters when interpreting the early criticism: some reviewers describe persistent inconvenience, while others see a learning curve. The reports do not establish that the fingerprint sensor is universally unreliable. Instead, they highlight disagreement over how comfortably Touch ID fits into routines previously built around Face ID.

For prospective owners, the unresolved question is whether that adjustment fades or remains a recurring irritation. The Verge’s experience offers a more optimistic outlook than PetaPixel’s, but neither settles how broadly those reactions will translate to everyday use. Longer-term experience will show whether familiarity meaningfully changes the balance.