Unlock with Face ID or a fingerprint
What this does
Lets you open a PIN-protected logbook with your face or your fingerprint instead of typing the PIN in.
Before you start
- Set a PIN first (→ A5). Biometrics replace the typing, not the lock — on a profile with no PIN there’s nothing to unlock, and the switch does nothing at all.
- Your device needs face or fingerprint recognition already set up in its own settings. Most phones and tablets have it; most desktops don’t. On Windows it’s Windows Hello, where your PC has a camera or fingerprint reader set up for it. On Linux there’s nothing the app can use, so the PIN is the way in. The other ways the app differs on Windows are in Pilot logbook software for Windows in the library.
- This switch covers the whole device, not one logbook. Turn it on and it applies to every profile on this device that has a PIN.
Steps
- On the dashboard, tap your own profile card at the top to open Profile Settings.
- Scroll down to SECURITY.
- Turn on FaceID / TouchID — Use biometrics to bypass PIN on this device.
How to tell it worked
Leave the profile (→ A8) and tap its card again.
Your device’s own face or fingerprint prompt comes up, asking to Unlock profile
If something goes wrong
| What you see | Why | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| The switch is greyed out, with Set a Profile PIN above to enable biometrics beneath it | This profile has no PIN, so there’s nothing for biometrics to stand in for | Set a PIN first (→ A5) and the switch comes alive |
| Nothing happens on a desktop computer | The switch is shown on every platform. On Linux there’s no biometric service the app can reach, and on Windows, Windows Hello isn’t set up on this PC | Use the PIN, or set up Windows Hello in Windows’ own Sign-in options |
| The face or fingerprint prompt is refused, or never appears | Recognition failed, or the device hasn’t got any set up | The PIN dialog comes up by itself. Type the PIN — that’s the intended fallback, every time |
| Could not save biometric preference: … | The device’s secure storage refused the write | The switch goes back to where it was. Try again, and if it keeps happening, restart the device |
The PIN never goes away
Biometrics are a shortcut past the PIN, not a replacement for it. The PIN carries on working, it’s what you fall back to whenever recognition fails, and it’s still the thing you mustn’t forget (→ A7).