Face ID is the easiest way to unlock your iPhone, authorize app purchases, and sign in to third-party apps. Enrolling your face for Face ID is a straightforward process. However, you might run into some issues during the process.
“Face ID Is Not Available” is a common error many iPhone users encounter when setting up Face ID. This tutorial covers potential troubleshooting fixes for Face ID problems on your iPhone.
Note: Only iPhone models with a rectangular notch at the top of the screen support Face ID—from iPhone X upward. This Apple Support document has a comprehensive list of iPhones and iPad that support facial recognition authentication.
1. Set up Face ID Correctly
When you set up Face ID, make sure you position your face correctly in the camera frame. Afterward, move your head in circles and ensure the Face ID setup agent captures all angles of your face.
You also need to scan your face twice, so ensure you complete both face scans. Otherwise, iOS may fail to set up Face ID. Finally, if using an iPhone, position it upright in portrait orientation; doing the scan in landscape might fail.
Note: If using an iPad, you can set up and use Face ID in any orientation—portrait or landscape.
As a refresher, let’s walk through the process of setting up Face ID the right way on an iPhone.
- Head to the Face ID menu on your iPhone ( Settings > Face ID & Passcode ) and enter your iPhone’s passcode.
- Tap Set Up Face ID .
- Go through the instructions for more details and tap Get Started to proceed.
- Hold your iPhone upright in portrait orientation and position your face within the frame. Move your head in circular motions until the green progress bar completes the circle.
- When the first Face ID scan is complete, position your face in the frame again and complete the second face scan.
- Tap Done when your phone displays a “Face ID is not set up” message. Lock your iPhone and check if Face ID works.
Although you can use Face ID with sunglasses, masks, hats, scarves, etc., they may disrupt the setup process. If the problem continues, remove any accessories on your face and retry the scan.
2. Move Your iPhone Closer to Your Face
Your iPhone needs to be at arm’s length (or closer) from your face to set up and use Face ID. Apple recommends a 25-50cm proximity distance.
If your iPhone won’t scan your face when setting up Face ID, move your face closer to your iPhone and try again. Again, remember to position your face within the camera frame and move your head in circles.
3. Clean Your iPhone’s TrueDepth Camera
The TrueDepth camera system on your iPhone is the heart and soul of Face ID. It’s the TrueDepth camera that creates a depth map and infrared image of your face when setting up Face ID. The notch at the top of your iPhone’s display houses the TrueDepth camera system.
If you can’t set up Face ID, check that nothing is covering the TrueDepth camera. Wipe your iPhone’s notch with a clean, soft, dry cloth. That will remove dirt, oil, and other particles blocking the TrueDepth camera. If a phone case or screen protector covers your iPhone’s notch, remove it and retry the Face ID scan.
4. Set up Face ID with Accessibility Options
Face ID enrollment may also fail if you have a facial or visual impairment. In that case, set up your iPhone’s Face ID using ”Accessibility Options.” The feature lets you quickly set up Face ID without scanning your entire face. The TrueDepth camera captures a few angles of your face and sets up Face ID using the partial scan.
Here’s how to set up Face ID in “Accessibility Options” mode:
- Go to Settings > Face ID & Passcode , type your iPhone’s passcode, and tap Set Up Face ID . Follow the instructions and scan your face when prompted.
- Tap Accessibility Options on the camera frame screen.
- Next, tap Use Partial Circle and tap Done on the next screen to complete the setup.
5. Reboot or Force-Restart Your iPhone
Restarting your iPhone is an easy fix for temporary software glitches affecting Face ID. Power off your iPhone, turn it back on and try setting up Face ID again.
Press and hold your iPhone’s Side button and either of the Volume buttons. Move the slide to power off slider to the right to shut down your iPhone.
Alternatively, open the Settings app, select General , tap Shut Down , and move the slider to the right.
Wait for about 10 seconds for your iPhone to shut down completely. Afterward, press and hold your iPhone’s Side button until the Apple logo shows up on the screen.
Force Restart iPhone
If your iPhone is freezing and won’t go off, force-restart it instead. Press and release the Volume Up button, press and release the Volume Down button, then press and hold the Side button until the Apple logo appears on the screen.
Try and set up your Face ID from scratch and check if restarting your iPhone fixed the problem.
6. Reset Your iPhone’s Settings
Refreshing your iOS settings can also fix problems preventing your iPhone from setting up Face ID. Note that resetting your iPhone’s settings will remove all location, privacy, and network-related settings. The operation will also remove all Apple Pay cards linked to your device. However, your data and accounts aren’t deleted.
Follow the steps to reset your iPhone’s settings:
- Go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone and tap Reset
- Select Reset All Settings and enter your iPhone’s password. Select Reset All Settings again on the confirmation prompt.
If your iPhone runs iOS 14 or older, go to Settings > General > Reset > Reset All Settings to reset its settings.
Wait for your iPhone to come back on and set up Face ID before doing anything else.
7. Update Your iPhone
Software-related issues (buggy or outdated operating system) may also cause Face ID to malfunction. If you still can’t set up Face ID, update your iPhone and try again.
Connect your iPhone to a Wi-Fi network and go to Settings > General > Software Update. Tap Download and Install to update your iPhone to the latest version of iOS.
Get Professional Help
If you still can’t set up Face ID, your iPhone’s TrueDepth camera is likely faulty. Head to a nearby Apple Retail Store or Apple Service Provider to check for hardware-related problems. Contact Apple Support if there’s no authorized Apple service center near you.
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Passcodes suck. They take a long time to type in, it’s easy to forget them and most people probably pick something really easy to guess, which hurts their security. This is why biometric unlock methods are so popular.
All but the most inexpensive smartphones now have fingerprint scanners built-in. One little touch and your phone unlocks, which is pretty convenient. But more devices are also now using facial recognition instead since screens are getting so large. Apple is no different and offers devices that use both of these technologies to secure them. Technologies that are officially known as Face ID and Touch ID.
But how do Face ID and fingerprint scans work?
What Are Face ID & Touch ID?
The obvious answer to this question is that Face ID is a face unlock system and Touch ID is a fingerprint unlock system. Job done. End of article. Right? Well, it’s a little more complicated than that because although lots of different companies use faces and fingerprints to unlock their devices, they don’t all work in the same way.
These two biometric systems are Apple’s proprietary solutions to the biometric problem. This matters because companies like Apple feel that their approach and technology are more secure than their competition. It matters because hackers and other security specialists have managed to fool systems like these in the past.
As you’d expect, there’s a race between the creators of biometric security sensors and those who want to defeat them. You must know how the sensors on your Apple device work and what their limitations are.
How Does Face ID & Touch ID Work?
Touch ID is Apple’s most mature biometric system and you’ll find it on certain models of iPhones, iPads, and MacBook Pros. Its sensors use the sapphire crystal as the button material. This is very hard and incredibly resistant to scratches, which is why high-end smartphone cameras also use sapphire lens covers.
When you place your finger on the button, a very high-resolution image is taken of your fingertip. A proprietary software algorithm then examines the image, transforming your fingerprint into pure math. This is then compared to the stored mathematical transformation of the fingerprint that was registered when Touch ID was set up. If they match, then the device unlocks.
Face ID works in a pretty smart way as well. Many devices use a normal camera for facial recognition. It compares the photo it has on record with the one you are presenting to unlock the device. The software that does the facial matching is quite sophisticated, but many of these cameras can’t tell the difference between a photo or a mask, so they can be fooled into unlocking.
Face ID, on the other hand, makes use of a specialized TrueDepth camera to create a very detailed depth map of your face. One with over 30 000 points. It combines this with an infrared image of your face to create a facial profile. The neural net machine learning hardware components of modern Apple mobile device processors make this level of sophistication possible.
So how secure are these technologies and are they good enough for you to trust?
General Biometric Security Flaws
First of all, some security vulnerabilities apply to biometric systems in general. The biggest problem with using an aspect of your biology to unlock something is that you can’t change it. If someone managed to make a perfect copy of your fingerprint or face, they could unlock anything. If someone figures out a password or passcode, just change it.
This sort of thing has happened in the past and the way that biometric sensors have got around it is by becoming more detailed and looking at multiple aspects of your biology. For example, finer details of your fingerprints or the presence of body heat. Those who want to defeat these systems have to get better at replicating your biology, which is impractical for the average hacker at a certain point.
The biggest weakness of biometric systems is a pretty simple one. Someone can simply take your finger or face and force you to unlock your device. That’s different from a password or code which you can “forget” or otherwise withhold. We’ll deal with this scenario at the end of the article.
How Secure Are Face ID & Touch ID?
This is a bit of a loaded question since that depends on what your definition of ‘secure’ is. Usually, the security of systems like these is expressed as the odds of someone randomly beating them. That’s the “brute force” method of cracking a digital lock. For Touch ID there’s only a 1 in 500,000 chance of someone’s fingerprint being similar enough to yours that Touch ID will be fooled.
Of course, that’s very different compared to someone making an impression of your fingerprint or creating fake ones from a scan. Then again, how likely that is to happen depends on who you are and if someone would be motivated to take this extreme path. If you’re a VIP who draws this sort of attention, you shouldn’t be using biometrics, since they aren’t secure enough at that risk level in our opinion.
Face ID is more secure from a brute force perspective according to Apple’s numbers. With a one-in-a-million chance of a random person looking enough like you. Identical twins are perhaps the exception here. So what about photographs or masks that replicate your face? Face ID has countermeasures for this. As mentioned above, photos won’t work since the camera can sense depth. It uses neural net technology to also mitigate against the use of masks.
There are no numbers to tell us how effective this is, but once again for the average user, no one is going to spend thousands or even millions of dollars creating technology to defeat Face ID. If you’re the president of a country, don’t use biometric locks.
Activating The iOS Biometric Killswitch
Now only one issue remains. What if someone is in a position to force you into unlocking your phone? They just have to point it at your face or put your finger on it, after all. If you think you may be entering this situation, you can simply click the on/off button five times and biometrics will be disabled in favor of a passcode.
On the iPhone 8 and up you need to squeeze the side button and either of the volume buttons. These methods could be different when you read this, so be sure you look up the biometric killswitch method for your specific iOS device.
In short: Face ID and Touch ID are plenty secure for most people, but not for people who need military-grade security. If you are however very paranoid, use a six-digit passcode instead.
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