Put the knife down and take a green herb, dude. (c) Ruffin Bailey 2001-2021

From daringfireball.net:

I haven’t seen this issue, but I sympathize with those of you who’ve been hit by it. “Unlock With Apple Watch” almost completely mitigates the annoyance of using an iPhone with Face ID while wearing a mask.

I realize Grubes isn't quite committing the sin of assuming Apple lock-in, but it's close. "Hey, your iPhone works great with your watch!" is verrrrry close to, "Your iPhone doesn't work as intended without one, so of course you have one."

And, let's be clear, the iPhone assemblage expects a watch at this point.

I recall reading a review for the original AirPods by someone who didn't have a watch. She complained that it was too difficult to control volume with the AirPods she was reviewing, and she was 100% right.

The volume button on the AirPods is on your watch. It's the "digital crown". If you don't have a watch, you can't adequately control volume; a crucial part of your Apple AirPods is missing. It can even be a Series 2 watch like mine. Works perfectly. Not only sound, which is slick, but the pause, fast-forward, and rewind are also all there on the watch interface waiting on you.

You could argue that she should have been aware of how the watch would complete the AirPods, Jerry McGuire style, but the review was absolutely spot on saying the AirPods' design stinks out of the box.

Ostensibly, Siri would solve all your extra control problems, and the always-on "Hey Siri" of AirPods Pro and AirPods v2+ likely helps mitigate this a bit. Currently, though it's an adequate solution in theory, it's a huge fail in practice. I map my AirPods' double-tap away from Siri and to forward (left ear) and back (right) to get back some measure of control. Removing one pauses, of course.

(That said, when we finally figure out how to integrate Siri culturally and socially, it's going to be amazing. I think I've mentioned how once, in a crowed and extremely loud Apple Store, I was able to nearly whisper a text reply into my watch and have the perfectly transcribed text sent without so much as removing my phone from my pocket. That's how Siri should work, and, at some point, I bet it does -- a nearly subvocal interface that allows rich interactions.)

If you're wearing a watch, AirPods work great -- better than reaching for some dumb volume wart on a wire hanging down from your ears.

But if you're not, AirPods are a bad idea. You're almost precisely up the proverbial Sonic Creek without a paddle.

And, apparently, you're stuck up Face ID Creek too.

To be clear, this Face ID pain is not something I've felt since I quickly gave away my XR. I still prefer a phone with Touch ID so I don't have to have a clear line of sight to my full visage to use my phone. I've been on the SE train for a while now -- and am currently, unexpectedly, using an SE v1 again. What a beautifully sized phone. And I'm now the iPad mini train again too, a perfect balance of easy to carry away from the house (iPhone SE1) and maximized interactions when I'm at home and pockets no longer matter (iPad mini 6). Both are sooooo much nicer with Touch ID. No watch required.

I do, however, love using my AirPods. I've even PodSwapped them and feel good about that so far.

Labels: AirPods, apple, apple fail, apple watch, Face ID, iphone

I've had an iPhone XR since essentially the release date, so I've been using it as my daily phone for over a year, upgrading from an iPhone SE.

This is enough time to realize that I really, truly, hate Face ID.

Maybe some day I'll screed on precisely why, but here's it in a nutshell: I just had a failed attempt to Face ID my leg. I'd used Siri a second before, and didn't close the screen while I carried it into the next room. It tried to Face ID maybe my face as I brought it down after reading Siri's response, then haptic'd again for another fail after I'd lowered it in my hand to beside my thigh.

This happened in my home.

It happens all the freaking time when I'm running too. Or when I'm driving and need the map to come back. Or when I'm walking around the house listening to podcasts or whatever and have had the phone open recently.

Face ID guesses it's time to ID me in all sorts of stupid situations where there's no face in sight. Argh.

And what happens when it fails because it tried to ID me when I didn't want it to? It makes me enter my passcode. My passcode is not a four digit number. I can't enter it safely when driving. I can't enter it easily when running. I hate entering it at home when the Face ID lock wasn't my fault.

(Let's not even get started with how many times Face ID doesn't realize it's me. That's at least once or twice a day, and sometimes more than five. And sometimes that locks the Face ID and I have to enter my passcode.

And at some point I'm going to do a video of how it handles beards, aka the "ignore your chin" feature. I shaved a beard once and could unlock my iPhone by holding a scrunched towel over the bottom of my face.)

You know what I like? Touch ID. I like Touch ID because it only tries to ID me when I actively ask it to. It doesn't guess when I want to check my ID -- and guess wrong -- like Face ID.

I hope this iPhone SE 2 is a real thing, because I'll be one of the first in line to get an A13 chip with a Touch ID. The XR is nice, but the Face ID is infuriating.

Edit 13 Feb 2020: You know, I wonder how much of this is because I use the option not to require attention when using Face ID.

Of course the reason I don't require attention is because I often want to "no look" unlock my phone. Why I have to stop what I'm doing and stare intently at my phone to open it, I have no idea. It's painful. It's not easier than dropping my finger on the phone briefly, which I can do no matter what direction my gaze is pointed.

I hate Face ID. ;^) Ain't for me.

Labels: apple, apple fail, Face ID, id, iphone, Touch ID

title: Put the knife down and take a green herb, dude.	descrip: One feller's views on the state of everyday computer science & its application (and now, OTHER STUFF) who isn't rich enough to shell out for www.myfreakinfirst-andlast-name.com Using 89% of the same design the blog had in 2001.
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Tuesday, September 28, 2021
"Apple watch, you complete me," says presumptuous partners iPhone and AirPods From daringfireball.net: I haven’t seen this issue, but I sympathize with those of you who’ve been hit by it. “Unlock With Apple Watch” almost completely mitigates the annoyance of using an iPhone with Face ID while wearing a mask. I realize Grubes isn't quite committing the sin of assuming Apple lock-in, but it's close. "Hey, your iPhone works great with your watch!" is verrrrry close to, "Your iPhone doesn't work as intended without one, so of course you have one." And, let's be clear, the iPhone assemblage expects a watch at this point. I recall reading a review for the original AirPods by someone who didn't have a watch. She complained that it was too difficult to control volume with the AirPods she was reviewing, and she was 100% right. The volume button on the AirPods is on your watch. It's the "digital crown". If you don't have a watch, you can't adequately control volume; a crucial part of your Apple AirPods is missing. It can even be a Series 2 watch like mine. Works perfectly. Not only sound, which is slick, but the pause, fast-forward, and rewind are also all there on the watch interface waiting on you. You could argue that she should have been aware of how the watch would complete the AirPods, Jerry McGuire style, but the review was absolutely spot on saying the AirPods' design stinks out of the box. Ostensibly, Siri would solve all your extra control problems, and the always-on "Hey Siri" of AirPods Pro and AirPods v2+ likely helps mitigate this a bit. Currently, though it's an adequate solution in theory, it's a huge fail in practice. I map my AirPods' double-tap away from Siri and to forward (left ear) and back (right) to get back some measure of control. Removing one pauses, of course. (That said, when we finally figure out how to integrate Siri culturally and socially, it's going to be amazing. I think I've mentioned how once, in a crowed and extremely loud Apple Store, I was able to nearly whisper a text reply into my watch and have the perfectly transcribed text sent without so much as removing my phone from my pocket. That's how Siri should work, and, at some point, I bet it does -- a nearly subvocal interface that allows rich interactions.) If you're wearing a watch, AirPods work great -- better than reaching for some dumb volume wart on a wire hanging down from your ears. But if you're not, AirPods are a bad idea. You're almost precisely up the proverbial Sonic Creek without a paddle. And, apparently, you're stuck up Face ID Creek too. To be clear, this Face ID pain is not something I've felt since I quickly gave away my XR. I still prefer a phone with Touch ID so I don't have to have a clear line of sight to my full visage to use my phone. I've been on the SE train for a while now -- and am currently, unexpectedly, using an SE v1 again. What a beautifully sized phone. And I'm now the iPad mini train again too, a perfect balance of easy to carry away from the house (iPhone SE1) and maximized interactions when I'm at home and pockets no longer matter (iPad mini 6). Both are sooooo much nicer with Touch ID. No watch required. I do, however, love using my AirPods. I've even PodSwapped them and feel good about that so far. Labels: AirPods, apple, apple fail, apple watch, Face ID, iphone posted by ruffin at 9/28/2021 09:09:00 PM

Thursday, December 05, 2019
I hate Face ID I've had an iPhone XR since essentially the release date, so I've been using it as my daily phone for over a year, upgrading from an iPhone SE. This is enough time to realize that I really, truly, hate Face ID. Maybe some day I'll screed on precisely why, but here's it in a nutshell: I just had a failed attempt to Face ID my leg. I'd used Siri a second before, and didn't close the screen while I carried it into the next room. It tried to Face ID maybe my face as I brought it down after reading Siri's response, then haptic'd again for another fail after I'd lowered it in my hand to beside my thigh. This happened in my home. It happens all the freaking time when I'm running too. Or when I'm driving and need the map to come back. Or when I'm walking around the house listening to podcasts or whatever and have had the phone open recently. Face ID guesses it's time to ID me in all sorts of stupid situations where there's no face in sight. Argh. And what happens when it fails because it tried to ID me when I didn't want it to? It makes me enter my passcode. My passcode is not a four digit number. I can't enter it safely when driving. I can't enter it easily when running. I hate entering it at home when the Face ID lock wasn't my fault. (Let's not even get started with how many times Face ID doesn't realize it's me. That's at least once or twice a day, and sometimes more than five. And sometimes that locks the Face ID and I have to enter my passcode. And at some point I'm going to do a video of how it handles beards, aka the "ignore your chin" feature. I shaved a beard once and could unlock my iPhone by holding a scrunched towel over the bottom of my face.) You know what I like? Touch ID. *I like Touch ID because it only tries to ID me when I actively ask it to. It doesn't guess when I want to check my ID -- and guess wrong -- like Face ID.* I hope this iPhone SE 2 is a real thing, because I'll be one of the first in line to get an A13 chip with a Touch ID. The XR is nice, but the Face ID is infuriating. Edit 13 Feb 2020: You know, I wonder how much of this is because I use the option not to require attention when using Face ID. Of course the reason I don't require attention is because I often want to "no look" unlock my phone. Why I have to stop what I'm doing and stare intently at my phone to open it, I have no idea. It's painful. It's not easier than dropping my finger on the phone briefly, which I can do no matter what direction my gaze is pointed. I hate Face ID. ;^) Ain't for me. Labels: apple, apple fail, Face ID, id, iphone, Touch ID posted by ruffin at 12/05/2019 10:36:00 AM

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