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Comment by dpark | Hacker News Reader

Why is that design a failure? My index finger is generally very near the Apple logo on my phone when I’m using it. It would be entirely convenient if the TouchID were there. It would actually be more comfortable than the current location that requires an awkward grip and thumb reach.

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I use my phone a lot when it’s lying on a desk, can’t unlock it when the fingerprint sensor is on the back.

Besides, the convenience of TouchID is largely due to it being integrated in the home button, you’d lose that too.

> I use my phone a lot when it’s lying on a desk, can’t unlock it when the fingerprint sensor is on the back.

You can still unlock a phone via its PIN if you don't want to pick it up. (Edit: I have not owned an iPhone since the original. Does the iPhone not provide a PIN option when Touch ID is enabled?)

It does, but if anything that argument is a point in favor of “fingerprint sensor on the back is poor UX”.

It depends, if you consider using the phone while laying flat on a desk as a normal or edge case.

I'm not an UX designer, but I would optimize for the nominal case, rather than choosing a solution that is sub-optimal 90% of the time, but works better for the remaining 10%.

> It depends, if you consider using the phone while laying flat on a desk as a normal or edge case.

Seems like a perfectly normal use-case to me. I have it lying on my desk when I'm at work, which is 40 hours a week. I don't want to have to pick up my phone or enter a PIN every time I want to check an incoming iMessage, news alert, etc.

As a long-time iPhone user who had been using Pixel more frequently recently, the unlock phone-on-your-desk use-case is hugely problematic when you have fingerprint on the back and it is a huge pain point. I have a long passphrase for security but even entering a PIN is so 2012.

Fingerprint on the back is a major UX issue. I hope FaceID would work fine at an angle.

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