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Windows Hello Goodbye

InspectHerGadget

Active Member
I've sort of looked on with amusement as the Hello feature is pretty hit and miss. I carry the Surface around to appointments and I would guess Hello works 80 - 90% of the time. It is very sensitive to lighting though and I really think it needs to be more reliable than this. It is easier and quicker to use my pin. I always have the keyboard attached too.

So Goodbye to Hello...
 

bluegrass

Well-Known Member
Never used it. Never will. I consider it a novelty tool for my Surface. I'm old school. How much time does it take to key in a password or a pin number? Just like power windows. I sure wish mine had a crank because I know someday, probably during a rain storm, the motor isn't going to work to close my window.
 

coolowl

Member
I used it when i first got it but quickly grew tired of it for the same reason - it just wasn't consistent in recognizing me. Clever concept but just not quite good enough. Someday...
 

hughlle

Super Moderator
Staff member
5 for 5. Oh dear Microsoft. And they were so excited about how amazing it would be. Such features (although maybe not IR or whatever it is) have been standard on the likes of android for years and years, and I've never seen anyone use it, for good reason, the reason given above. How hard is it to enter a pin code.
 

Philtastic

Active Member
Yeah, features are only good if they make your life easier. Waiting for it to scan your face where it will sometimes fail is slower than just typing in your PIN or password. Never used it and don't plan on doing so.
 
I actually use it. It is sensitive to light condition but you can "train" it in different conditions like in a dark room.
After a proper train, it works flawlessly. It comes in handy when you use SP4 as a tablet since it's quicker than trying to type in a pin or PW on the virtual keyboard.
 

Gtfeckner

New Member
Mi experience is exactly the opposite.

For me, Windows Hello is working fine. To be honest, it´s getting a bit worse with the last updates, but is still good enough. I only have to be careful not to have a bright light behind me, and it works very well, and very fast. I cannot imagine how fast you guys type, if you really can log-in faster using a PIN than with Windows Hello. For me, it is almost instantaneous. I consider it one of the best features in the Surface Pro 4.

I´m constantly writing fast notes during meetings and turning the screen off to save battery and for privacy concerns. So, during a meeting, maybe I have to log-in 100 times. Using a PIN for me is a PITA. Windows Hello works just fine, and is much more convenient to me. To the point that I simply would not consider a device without it anymore.
 

wynand32

Well-Known Member
Windows Hello used to be rock solid for me. Then, after one of the recent production Windows 10 updates, it dropped to around 80%. I haven't messed with it, but it's possible that an update futzed with the biometric data and it needs to be reset/retrained. I'll probably give that a try soon.
 
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Gtfeckner

New Member
Windows Hello used to be rock solid for me. Then, after on of the recent production Windows 10 updates, it dropped to around 80%. I haven't messed with it, but it's possible that an update futzed with the biometric data and it needs to be reset/retrained. I'll probably give that a try soon.

I also noted a reduction in reliability with updates. But again, since the last ones, it has started working admirably again, like before. I did not re-train it, it improved on its own with the last updates.
 

jnjroach

Administrator
Staff member
There were a couple of builds that seemed to reduce its effectiveness, but it is working well for me in these last couple of builds...
 
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