The iPhone 5S' fingerprint sensor is a nice piece of technology, which we haven't seen till now in a smartphone. TouchID is a new hardware addition that replaces the home button with a scanner that can read your fingerprint and compare it to the stored information on the device to unlock the phone and make purchases through the App and iTunes Stores, should you so choose.
The Touch ID sensor is capacitive and can scan in 360 degrees. That means that you don't have to orient your finger in a particular manner to get it done. It also can learn multiple fingers, so it's not limited to just your thumbprint. According to Apple, the chance that Touch ID will misread a finger is 1 in 50,000 —a much lower probability than the 1 in 10,000 chance for guessing a four-digit password.
In case you are worried that someone may grab your fingerprints off your iPhone screen (or elsewhere) and build a latex replica, you can try a finger you don't often rely on — say your pinkie finger.
Moreover, Apple also gives you the option to not use the fingerprint scanner, as you can always swipe to the right on the lock screen at any time to access the passcode entry screen.
However, reports suggest that Touch ID doesn't respond to wet fingers. Overall, Touch ID is the perfect balance of smartphone security and convenience.
Apple also claims that it doesn't store fingerprint details in iCloud or any of its remote servers. It's all contained within the hardware, meaning nobody can get at your data.
