Cancer treatment has left fingertips smooth with little, or, no fingerprint. I have searched for options in settings under accessibility etc. The options seem to be adjusting for motor mention problems eg speed of swipe. It seems more of a problem of grip, like skidding a car because the tyre tread has gone. Am I misunderstanding the Accessibility settings or is there anything else to solve this problem.
iPhone 16
I am not intending to make light of your issues. I am just not convinced skin smoothness is the fundamental issue, and citing skin smoothness as the cause may distract from a quick solution.
Wikipedia article on touchscreens suggest that the capacitance of the bulk of your finger, not its raised ridges, are used for sensing in most smartphones today.
That article goes on to say that when sensing a fingerprint, typically the same capacitance technology is used, but the sensors are just spaced closer together. In that case, lack of readily discernible fingerprints might be an issue. But iPhone 16 does not have a fingerprint sensor.
This all suggests that except for a fingerprint sensor, the smoothness (alone) of your skin, or lack of detectable fingerprints, is unlikely to be the underlying issue.
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I second the suggestion that you contact Apple accessibility support.
They may have seen (and solved) cases with folks who have problems with touchscreens.
If no joy from the first person you speak with, ask to have a specialist contact you.
I am not intending to make light of your issues. I am just not convinced skin smoothness is the fundamental issue, and citing skin smoothness as the cause may distract from a quick solution.
Wikipedia article on touchscreens suggest that the capacitance of the bulk of your finger, not its raised ridges, are used for sensing in most smartphones today.
That article goes on to say that when sensing a fingerprint, typically the same capacitance technology is used, but the sensors are just spaced closer together. In that case, lack of readily discernible fingerprints might be an issue. But iPhone 16 does not have a fingerprint sensor.
This all suggests that except for a fingerprint sensor, the smoothness (alone) of your skin, or lack of detectable fingerprints, is unlikely to be the underlying issue.
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I second the suggestion that you contact Apple accessibility support.
They may have seen (and solved) cases with folks who have problems with touchscreens.
If no joy from the first person you speak with, ask to have a specialist contact you.
¿Do you have an aftermarket screen protector added?
Since capacitance appears to be the technology used to detect finger presses, the additional thickness of that screen protector may be making your life more difficult. That small additional thickness makes capacitance somewhat smaller, and harder to sense..
If you have an Apple Store available, the displayed iPhones do not have a screen protector installed, so that could be a way to test without destroying your screen protector.
I am not an Apple employee (who might be prohibited from making this [destructive] suggestion). Consider using your already well-protected iPhone screen withOUT the additional thickness of an added screen protector.
CAUTION: If (at your own risk) you remove an aftermarket screen protector, that same screen protecter can NOT be reapplied in an acceptable way. So the experiment is not "free".
M0ndayTuesday ~ Whilst you await possible suggestions from the community here, consider also contacting Apple:
How to contact Apple for help with accessibility features
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Could it be that your skin is very dry? That can interfere with touch screens. Regular use of hand cream may help. Make sure, though, that you don't put it on right before using your phone. That can make a mess of your screen.
Thank you all for your thoughts and suggestions. I will pursue them all.
Kind regards
Fingers too smooth to swipe iPhone
