You already know what Face ID is, right? It’s Apple’s system that lets you unlock your iPhone or iPad, authorize purchases, log into apps, and more just by looking at the device. It’s the evolution of Touch ID and one that many users wish it would come back to. Especially, during the pandemic where, due to the mandatory nature of the masks, there was no one to unlock the terminals, until they updated it. It’s not something that comes standard, as it needs to be configured. It works very well and very quickly, but sometimes it doesn’t work. That’s when you should check out this blog post and see if some of the options solve the problem you’re having.
We are clear that Face ID must be set. For this we must go to Settings> Face ID> Passcode> Configure Face ID. We need to hold the device vertically, place our face in front of the device, and then start. We follow the instructions, which basically consist of placing the face inside the frame and slowly moving the head to complete the circle. Once the process is complete, you will be able to use this system to be able to unblock or make payments. Knowing that it always works well. If that doesn’t work, check these settings and we might find a solution.
The first thing we need to do is figure out why it’s not working. It won’t take long and we’ll find out almost immediately. Since we have configured Face ID and followed the steps above, this may be a temporary issue. Restarting the terminal would suffice. But if the problem persists, we will look for other solutions.
Clean TrueDepth camera area
The TrueDepth camera on the top of your iPhone may be dirty because with its own use it generates dirt which should not affect it, but sometimes due to a one-time event it may have become dirtier than the normal and therefore it does not. work. To do this, take a clean section, preferably cotton, and leave no lint or debris. Glide the cloth gently, it is not necessary to press too hard, unless you see encrusted dirt. To do this, do not use any household cleaner. just dampen the cloth or use an isopropyl alcohol solution especially for electronic devices.
You are using a protector that is too thick
You may have just installed a screen protector to prevent your screen from cracking or scratching. But some models are too thick and this prevents us from being able to use the TrueDepth camera in a normal way. Visual interference occurs and the camera cannot distinguish the face and therefore does not work for security. Try removing and testing without to see if it works.
Do not obstruct the camera
It seems like a truism, but sometimes we cover the camera with something, totally or partially, and we don’t let it do its job. Usually the device tells us that the camera is covered and therefore cannot operate Face ID. But if it’s not completely covered, it’s likely the warning won’t jump and so one should be on the lookout and determine if it is indeed free of interference.
Enable Face ID for third-party apps
Remember that Face ID must be enabled for use with third-party applications. Because it is well configured and you use it to unlock the terminal or make payments, it does not mean that you can use it with applications from other developers. You have to activate it manually and sometimes when updates for these apps are installed, you have to repeat the activation process. For this you must:
Open Face ID in your options and find the application in question and activate the unlock function.
An app may have frozen and preventing Face ID from working properly
Sometimes Face ID may not work when trying to access an app if it is “stuck”, frozen or stuck in the background. To solve this problem, we must close the application in question. Reopen it and start the process again.
If it doesn’t work right now, reset Face ID
If you’ve reached this point and we’re still the same as when we started, what you need to do is restart the Face ID setup process. Clears all settings and disables the feature. Restart the terminal, it doesn’t matter if it’s an iPhone or an iPad. Once it starts again We started the process indicated at the beginning of this post. It is configured manually and we try again. The most normal thing is that it has been resolved.
If nothing works, reset
Before you begin, make sure you have the iPhone or iPad updated to the latest version.
Now yes. If nothing works, we can only take the terminal to repair it and determine the problem that prevents it from working. However, we can reset iPhone or iPad to DFU mode. Follow this tutorial and you will have it ready and hopefully now it works at all.
I hope you were able to fix the issue where Face ID is not working. Keep in mind that you can still perform the same actions with a code which you also need to configure. In this case, we advise you, for safety, that it be as long as possible, ie six digits. I know it’s a bit more complicated, but it’s just as effective and if you have an old terminal and you’re wearing a mask, you’ll have no choice but to do this. In any case, if it is not repaired, you will have to think about looking for a professional or opting to change the model and acquire one of the models of the new iPhone or iPad. It may not be the cheapest solution, but it’s the perfect excuse to modernize our terminals. Whatever they are.
By the way, if you solved this problem in another way, we will be happy to read it in the comments and thus be able to learn together and that those who are in the same situation can solve the problem.
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