Discussion of Windows Hello on the 950XL

[Joe920]

Some comments after a day with Windows Hello:

- For me it works really well, 95% success rate. Waking up all squinty and puffy eyed it didn't work though.
- The setup page should give tips on how to use it. Can it handle landscape AND portrait? Where do we look? etc
- It shouldn't activate when you put the phone on the charger
- I'd like an option to only activate it when a password is needed, i.e. after the phone lock timeout period
- I'd like it to work even the first time after a reboot
- I'd like an option to disable it without deleting the biometric data (to test if it's the cause of battery drain)
- I'd like it to work without the visible light, maybe use infrared?
- MS should add a separate section for Windows Hello in the feedback app.

In all, despite the fact that it works really well, I'd prefer a fingerprint reader. It looks a little odd to stare intensely at your phone while walking down the hall. Also: kind of risky to hold my face in front of the dashboard mount while driving. :winktongue:

 

[DLong4]

Sometimes I'll be staring into the camera, and the phone indicates it is still searching, and I give up on the Hello, and sweep up on the screen to provision my PIN, and it just unlocks right away as soon as I sweep up.

 

[Joe920]

Sometimes I'll be staring into the camera, and the phone indicates it is still searching, and I give up on the Hello, and sweep up on the screen to provision my PIN, and it just unlocks right away as soon as I sweep up.

Exactly. That's why I'd like an I'd an option disable it whenever a password is not needed. In that case instead of "Looking for you" it could say "Swipe up to start" or something similar. Not everyone might like this, so an option would be best.

 

[badMojo69]

Be nice that if you set the phone in driving mode that it could switch to voice authentication.
I mean you'd have to have your pass code or face authentication to active it, I'd think that would be secure enough.

 

[James Maliki]

If you set up your phone to require a passcode entry every fifteen minutes of activity you don't have to constantly use Windows Hello.

Like for me, if I used the phone within the last fifteen minutes, even if it asks me to look at the camera I just swipe up to bypass it.

It works just like the passcode in that sense. If you've used the phone within the last fifteen minutes then there is no need for the passcode and all you do is swipe up.

 

[Hans Swolfs]

how about a security issue? so you set up a pin and Hello for security reasons right? aside from how well Hello works for me (it really does), try this to unlock your phone :
- instead of pressing POWER, press the dedicated camera button to activate the camera
- take a picture
- press the Windows logo --> phone unlocked without Hello or pin

 

[DeathMoJo]

For now i am going to keep it deactivated. I hate how it trys validate my login when i have the wait time set to not need a login...

It does work about 90% of the time and it is a nifty feature for sure but I want to see how battery life with it off is as well.

 

[Hans Swolfs]

another thing, this morning I woke up my phone after a night's charge and got the message "Hello is disabled due too many attempts" (translated from dutch)... no idea why it was looking for my face at night when the phone was doing nothing...

 

[Krystianpants]

how about a security issue? so you set up a pin and Hello for security reasons right? aside from how well Hello works for me (it really does), try this to unlock your phone :
- instead of pressing POWER, press the dedicated camera button to activate the camera
- take a picture
- press the Windows logo --> phone unlocked without Hello or pin

Tired it , still requires iris scan. I have my require pin set to "every time". If you don't have that it explains why it works for you. Iris scan shouldn't be scanning till pin is required but seems like a bug because you can still get in but it scans until pin is required time is reached in which you must scan.

 

[Hans Swolfs]

Tired it , still requires iris scan. I have my require pin set to "every time". If you don't have that it explains why it works for you. Iris scan shouldn't be scanning till pin is required but seems like a bug because you can still get in but it scans until pin is required time is reached in which you must scan.

tested and indeed you are right...

still strange since even when it was set to "15 minutes", everytime I tried it was looking for me too to unlock the phone?

 

[Krystianpants]

tested and indeed you are right...

still strange since even when it was set to "15 minutes", everytime I tried it was looking for me too to unlock the phone?

Yeah probably a bug

 

[Hans Swolfs]

anyone else have this :
One thing I had a couple of times though was this : At night the phone is set to silent and charges wireless when I sleep. I had a couple of times when in the morning I got the message that windows hello was blocked due too many failed attempts and it had to be unlocked via pin.

Why would it require unlocking while I'm sleeping?

 

[christosays]

anyone else have this :
One thing I had a couple of times though was this : At night the phone is set to silent and charges wireless when I sleep. I had a couple of times when in the morning I got the message that windows hello was blocked due too many failed attempts and it had to be unlocked via pin.

Why would it require unlocking while I'm sleeping?

The only thing I can think is if something kept triggering the screen to wake up it might automatically start looking for you. Maybe.

 

[douggrif]

I have discovered that if I hold my 950XL slightly above eye level tilting it down slightly towards my eyes and look at the "Microsoft" logo at the top of the phone (not at "looking for you" line) it unlocks very quickly, within one second.

I took the time to train the "Hello" screen located under "settings", personalization, "lock screen", "sign-in options" (at the very bottom of that screen), the "Improve Recognition". I wear glasses and I trained it for glasses and for without. It works the same for day or night. I am now happy with the results.

I also own a Surface Book and the Hello screen works incredibly fast. I just have to approach the notebook and it recognizes me. Perhaps someday the 950XL will work even better.