User profile for user: David Shanahan
David Shanahan Author
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Face ID Failing After Installing iOS 16.3.1

About 36 hrs after upgrading my iPhone 11 to iOS 16.3.1 Face ID stopped working. Until then Face ID had always worked flawlessly. It refused to unlock the phone and forced me to enter the passcode to unlock it. I tried cleaning the notch, retrying unlock, nothing helped. After several failed unlock attempts I got a message saying "Face ID unavailable, try again later".


Eventually I tried resetting Face ID and tried to set it up again, but during the face scan process I got the Face ID not available, try again later message. I then tried restarting the phone and went back into Face ID setup and it failed again, but on the second or third attempt it suddenly worked and I could complete the Face ID setup process. From then on Face ID was working again. For about 24 hrs. Then it just stopped working again (this time I didn't get the unavailable, try again later message, it just wouldn't unlock).


This time I powered the iPhone off and on again and it still failed to unlock without the passcode a few times, but then suddenly started working again for no obvious reason.


I guess it could be an intermittent h/w issue, but I'm suspicious that iOS 16.3.1 may be causing the problem, has anyone else encountered issues with Face ID after updating to 16.3.1?


I'm also curious about the meaning of the message "Face ID unavailable, try again later" and what sort of issue(s) would trigger that? What sort of problem would cause Face ID to fail temporarily and waiting a while might resolve? Temperature or something?



iPhone 11

Posted on Feb 16, 2023 2:48 AM

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User profile for user: David Shanahan
David Shanahan Author
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Posted on Mar 17, 2023 3:25 AM

Ok, took the phone into Apple today and they ran a swag of tests on it and finally declared the issue with Face ID was due to faulty Face ID sensors. The battery passed testing and the recommended action was to replace the Face ID sensor module. As this was going to cost more than A$300 I decided not to proceed.


So in the end this problem turned out to not be related to iOS 16.3.1 (coincidences do happen) nor was it caused by a flakey battery, it was a Face ID sensor hardware fault. ☹️

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User profile for user: David Shanahan
David Shanahan Author
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Mar 17, 2023 3:25 AM in response to David Shanahan

Ok, took the phone into Apple today and they ran a swag of tests on it and finally declared the issue with Face ID was due to faulty Face ID sensors. The battery passed testing and the recommended action was to replace the Face ID sensor module. As this was going to cost more than A$300 I decided not to proceed.


So in the end this problem turned out to not be related to iOS 16.3.1 (coincidences do happen) nor was it caused by a flakey battery, it was a Face ID sensor hardware fault. ☹️

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User profile for user: Alancito
Alancito
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Mar 13, 2023 3:16 AM in response to David Shanahan

David Shanahan wrote: "...given the battery capacity is only 83% I started to wonder if Face ID might start failing when the battery is getting low, but it still happens even at 100% charge."

As the battery is likely to be fundamentally weak (having only 83% capacity), being 100% charged won't make any difference to the battery's ability to supply enough power to the demanding function of Face ID. ...But probably the only way to confirm that the battery is causing the Face ID issues is to have the battery replaced.


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User profile for user: magnum273
magnum273
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Mar 18, 2023 1:47 PM in response to David Shanahan

Hi everyone:

I originally started this post regarding the software update that is causing the Face ID to stop working .

I am a technician and replaced my badly scratched screen with an OEM screen . The Face ID was working fine up until the latest software update .

After numerous attempts to repair the Face ID by replacing the true depth camera , dot projector and ear piece speaker , the Face ID would not work .

I decided to install the original scratched screen and finally the Face ID is now working perfectly.


Now I can confirm that the software is the case of the Face ID not working due to the replacement of the part that is not originally programmed to the motherboard.

Any phone that has a screen replaced by a non Apple Store will have this issue as they can pair the new part to the motherboard so all functionalities will be as per original.

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User profile for user: jptrek77
jptrek77
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Apr 2, 2023 6:49 AM in response to MtnManMike828

To see the failure state in real time, you can load Animojiis (in messages) - they’re supposed to continuously track your face, but you’ll find that yours will only work .2s at a time, and will pause in between or say “camera is blocked”. Aggravatingly, the device will pass apple’s hardware tests because that <1s of functionality still returns good values, but resets faceID (such that it never gets a complete scan).

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User profile for user: David Shanahan
David Shanahan Author
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Mar 15, 2023 1:48 PM in response to jptrek77

Who said Face ID worked previously when the battery had only 10% charge? I'm not sure I ever used Face ID with such a low charge, even when its battery capacity was a lot better than the current 83%. What I said was that recently it claimed to only have 10% charge left after a restart when I knew it was near 100% charged, the subsequent restart showed that was correct, the 10% low battery warning was spurious (and may well indicate the battery is failing, even with 83% capacity).


As I've already said, I wiped the phone and reconfigured it as new, it made no difference to this problem.


As I see it there are three possible explanations for the Face ID problem with my phone:


  1. The iOS 16.3.1 update stuffed something up. Initially I thought this was the most likely cause, but now I'm not so sure.
  2. There's a h/w fault in the Face ID cameras/sensors.
  3. The battery is nearly worn out and is sometimes unable to provide enough power to make Face ID work reliably. iOS battery health setting shows it has 83% capacity, which is close to the usual 80% "replace the battery" level and it has recently given a spurious "low battery" warning message. Sounds like this battery may need replacing.


I'm taking the phone into Apple to have it checked, then I'll know if it's 2 or 3. If it's 2 then I won't get it fixed as that will cost more than the phone is worth, if it's 3 then I'll probably pay Apple's outrageous new price to have the battery replaced and see if that fixes the Face ID problem. If it doesn't then the problem must be 1 and it's🤞iOS 16.4 fixes the problem.

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User profile for user: Alancito
Alancito
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Apr 11, 2023 3:35 AM in response to jk595090

jk595090 wrote: "yeah mine stopped working the second I updated to iOS 16…. Like nothing happened to my phone..."

jk ~ Battery degradation is always happening on your iPhone. And the long process of applying an iOS update to an iPhone with a weak battery can be the proverbial "straw that broke the camel's back." So...


What model of iPhone do you have?...


Settings > General > About > Model Name


Does it still have its original battery?


And what's the Maximum Capacity % here?...


Settings > Battery > Battery Health & Charging


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User profile for user: Hilly1
Hilly1
User level: Level 1
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Jun 8, 2023 4:45 PM in response to David Shanahan

Had exactly the same issue. Face ID just stopped working. After iOS 16.5 update overnight last night, Face ID is working perfectly again. Little doubt in my mind that it was a problem with previous iOS update. Am I justified in wondering how many people needlessly had their phones repaired by Apple to fix a Face ID problem that Apple caused themselves?

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User profile for user: ProustGiulio
ProustGiulio
User level: Level 10
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Feb 16, 2023 2:52 AM in response to David Shanahan

If you're sure that nothing (cover, screen protector, dirt) interferes with your front camera, see this support article:--> If Face ID isn't working on your iPhone or iPad Pro and/or this one:--> If an alert says Face ID has been disabled on your iPhone or iPad Pro


If, after performing all the steps provided in the above support articles, the issue persists, contact Apple Support directly, using this specific link:--> Apple Support , or make an appointment and have your device inspected at an Apple Store or AASP (Apple Authorized Service Provider) among this list:--> Apple - Find Locations - Location Selector. After checking it out, they'll give you all the available options.


Regards

Giulio

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User profile for user: David Shanahan
David Shanahan Author
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Mar 14, 2023 10:46 PM in response to David Shanahan

After further testing and Alancito's suggestion I've an appointment at an Apple store on Friday to have this problem investigated, particularly the battery, as I'm starting to think that's more likely the cause of this Face ID issue than the 16.3.1 update.


A couple of days ago while restarting the phone to try to clear the Face ID problem it booted up and immediately popped up a low battery warning (supposedly only 10% charge left), but I knew the phone had over 90% charge at the time. I shut it down and powered it on again and this time no low battery warning and the battery showed 90%+ charge as expected. I think the battery, having only 83% capacity, is maybe getting flakey and this may be the cause of the Face ID problem. I checked and the battery was replaced in Nov 2021.


i'll report back after Apple have had a look at the phone, but in the meantime I'd recommend that anyone else suddenly having Face ID failures on an iPhone 12 or earlier check your battery capacity and if it's getting close to the magic 80% level get it checked by Apple.

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User profile for user: jptrek77
jptrek77
User level: Level 1
13 points

Apr 9, 2023 7:14 PM in response to Amy_applefan

Apple actually replaced my phone and I need to mail my old one back in, so I unfortunately cannot test.


This had a software gaff written all over if for the cause. Interestingly, the first senior apple tech I talked to was an absolute clown of an individual, but the second one was great.


The TrueDepth camera (used for FID) hardware was fine, it was just disconnecting every half second for about two seconds. This behavior is really apparent in Animojis, which the second tech had me try to troubleshoot.



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User profile for user: Alancito
Alancito
User level: Level 7
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Mar 8, 2023 3:11 PM in response to x-gamer177

x-gamer177 wrote: "I have the exact same issue, I have a iphone x from 6 years which was working fine until i updated to 16.3.1 and face id stopped working and won't let me reset..... I am not sure why I need to spend money now to get this fixed when my phone was working fine and a software update from apple broke it"

x-gamer ~ The long process of applying an iOS update to an old iPhone X with a weak battery can be the proverbial "straw that broke the camel's back." So...


Does it still have its original battery?


And what's the Maximum Capacity % here?...


Settings > Battery > Battery Health & Charging


õ¿õ¬

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Face ID Failing After Installing iOS 16.3.1

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