Face ID issue with Notes app

I'm no Apple expert, but I was finally able to resolve this on my new iPhone (I always used Face ID before and ported settings on my Apple ID to my new iPhone 13 Pro Max).

1. I went to Settings > Notes > Password > iCloud and selected Use Face ID. This enabled Face ID to view/edit locked notes.
2. I also went to Settings > Notes > Password > On My iPhone and selected Use Face ID. This forced me to put in a global password for all notes on my iPhone, which I did.

I hope this helps. These settings were not familiar to me and did not match anything I found online. Good luck!

These so called Apple experts rarely have any idea about the phone settings. They randomly try to troubleshoot such issues by checking if the notes are being backed up to the icloud or not, which doesn't make any sense.

You just need to switch on a toggle in your phone to get rid of this issue, in order for the notes app to use your face id instead of making you type the pssqord everytime.

In Settings, go to 'Notes', go to 'Passwords', select the location (icloud or iphone) where the particular note with a lock is saved. In the location, switch on the 'FaceID' option. Your problem will be solved.

I found a SOLUTION for this. On my old iPhone 7 I was able to view/unlock the note using my Touch ID. Once unlocked I removed the lock and since it is an iCloud account this updated on all of my other devices as well. Thank you Jesus!!! Now on my iPhone 13 Pro, I went into my notes and reset the password for locked iCloud notes and I replaced the lock on the note and it is now working with Face ID and I now KNOW the password also.

Open settings, scroll down and open notes, open password, toggle on Use Face ID

if you have a old iPhone try my solution: I found a SOLUTION for this. On my old iPhone 7 I was able to view/unlock the note using my Touch ID. Once unlocked I removed the lock and since it is an iCloud account this updated on all of my other devices as well. Thank you Jesus!!! Now on my iPhone 13 Pro, I went into my notes and reset the password for locked iCloud notes and I replaced the lock on the note and it is now working with Face ID and I now KNOW the password also.

There is a lot in this thread.. I hesitate to get into these longer threads where people are expressing frustration/irritation.

I chose a random person to respond to, so don't bite my head off for choosing to comment or who I 'replied' to. All I am hoping to do is help one or two of ya.

If none of this helps, I'm sorry.. it's all I know, and you'll have to rely on contacting Apple support.

If you're not aware, this is a user to user forum and Apple is not here. So if you are waiting for Apple to directly respond and address questions/issues in this thread, they will not.

First of all, this is the best link to reference for locked notes..

How to lock or unlock notes on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch - Apple Support

This link has a section on it for how to reset your notes password.

I can't speak to those of you who insist that you're entering the correct password.

I also don't work for Apple and cannot speak to whether or not there could be a bug or something affecting you.

But maybe I CAN clarify something that may not be clear to you..

If you go thru the process of resetting your notes password, that does not unlock your prior notes. It resets the password for all notes that you may lock in the future.

SO, if you reset your notes password, and then enter your new password into an older locked note and insist that you are entering the correct password, you are not entering the correct password that the note was locked with. A note can only be unlocked with the password that was used to lock it.

As Apple has told some of you, the only way to lock a note is using a password.

Without having first set a password for locked notes, the option to use FaceID to unlock them will not even be available.

FaceID is available to make something more convenient. It does not (and will not likely ever) replace your password.

I don't know what all the triggers are, but there are things that will require the notes password to be re-entered in order to re-enable unlocking your notes using biometric method.

Similarly, you might use Face/TouchID to unlock your iPhone.. the only way to do that is if you have a passcode set. If you forget the iPhone passcode when it's requested, you're hosed and you'd have to restore your iPhone, hopefully you were backing it up.. Because Face/TouchID is not a replacement for the passcode. It is a convenience.

Apple cannot 'remotely' unlock your notes or reset a password for a locked note. the password set to lock your notes is the encryption key.. stored locally on your device (I think).

You should have unlimited guesses for the locked notes password, so try any common passwords you may have used. After an incorrect guess or two, IF you entered a password hint at the time of password creation, it should be displayed.

Keep in mind that when you created this password for your locked notes, it may have been years back and on a different device. I update my phone annually as part of the iPhone Upgrade Program.. and when I transfer to the new phone, I do not believe I have to re-enter the password for my locked notes. I just set up Face ID and I'm off and running.

trex67, 

To clarify, are you unable to access the old note? 

Can you verify that you’re syncing your notes with either iCloud or that they are stored locally on your device? The easiest way is to check in the Notes app by tapping Folders at the top left to see where notes are being stored. 

If it’s on your iPhone or in iCloud, what we’d like to have you do is export a copy of this note, then turn off the lock for the note all together. Enable it again and test. 

Archive or make copies of the information you store in iCloud

If stored on your iPhone, you can copy the contents of the note and then paste it into an email and email it to yourself, just for the moment. Select, cut, copy, and paste text on iPhone

Here’s how to remove a lock under ‘Remove a lock’ - How to lock notes on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch

Thanks. 

So far apple is acting like you have to had set a password to lock the note, and I told the sr. Advisor No, it didn’t ask for a password to lock it only scanned my face and locked via Face ID. It took some explaining but she noted it. I even told her I could create a new note and lock it via Face ID and unlock it same way and it doesn’t ask for a password..so apples engineers were wrong..in insisted it did not prompt for a password only used Face ID. Because apple is claiming ignorance and saying they can’t unlock the notes for any of us. I advised we don’t want them unlocked we want the ability for Face ID to unlock them like previously. Because we were not prompted for passwords when we locked them the first time. Anyone having this issue needs to call or I’m afraid apple will act like they are not responsible.

Apple engineers have denied this being an issue on anyone's side but the consumers. I was told that I could not have locked the note without creating a password and I did just that, I even created a new note, locked it and demonstrated it could all be done without creating a password only using face ID. I was then told well I must have updated my face ID and it was looking for my old face. NO, I never changed my face ID and the issue is that it never looks for my face ID period, just prompts for a password. They are doing nothing to correct this. I was told that anyone having the issue needs to goto apple.com/feedback and let them know of this issue, we need to flood the site or they aren't going to address this issue. I know there are several people with this problem and need access to their notes with proprietary information locked in them.

Has anyone had any luck on this issue yet? I didn’t realize all the notes were dependent on the ONE password set way back when I first tried the password lock. I was under the impression that I could use either a password OR Face ID, so when I locked it using my Face ID, I didn’t think anything of it. Now it is demanding a password and either I have no clue what the password was, or Apple Notes forgot my password. Since I only use one if three passwords, my guess is Apple Notes screwed up.

Having the same problem. Face ID worked fine for weeks and then out of nowhere, it’s not working on my previously saved notes. I’ve tried every password I can think of, but nothing works. My mom just died and I have important documents scanned into my notes that I NEED access to!

I tried resetting the password, disabling and re-enabling Face ID, restarting the phone, etc… None of the “fixes” listed above will access previously locked notes. They only allow for new notes to be accessed.

No apple engineers said basically you couldn’t have locked it without a password and I did, I locked it with only Face ID, they aren’t doing anything at this point. I even made new notes and locked them with just Face ID and showed the tech while screen sharing and she said she was sorry nothing she could do because the engineers are stating no password..no note.

Salutations trex67, 

We understand that you’re not able to use Face ID to unlock notes in the Notes app. 

Is this happening with old notes, newly created notes or both? When entering your passcode, are you able to unlock the notes? 

Thank you. 

Same issue here, only after getting iPhone Pro 13 Max. Previously fine on iPhone 12 Pro, and all other Apple devices.

It appears as though Notes does not appear as an app within FaceID settings, which is strange!