Face ID Failing After Installing iOS 16.3.1

I can Connect to the front cameras directly. I Can see that they work correctly: they receive power, I can get an image, and the data that would be used to perceive depth.

What I can’t see is how they interact with the faceID processing code, which is the same power consumption as, at most, taking a couple roots, and much less than most other continuous iPhone operations. 

I perceive your space to be conspicuous as a consumer because you tell a guy who acknowledged successful jurisdictional interactions with this company as “wearing a tinfoil cap” (and my previous response was interpreted and negated, but your ideas were preserved). 

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Now imagine for a second you bought your first iPhone, and saving for it was a big deal, and you’re having this exact issue. Before the update, faceID worked even when your battery was super low. Now it doesn’t, even when your battery is fully charged (if this doesn’t make sense, do some research before responding). You can’t afford another phone. Android users aren’t experiencing these issues (ever) because updates to that OS aren’t occluded or obfuscated.

Thank you, that may explain the issue with my son's face ID not working as he had his screen replaced recently... Mine however, was not ever replaced, everything is the original. I keep trying to reset the face ID (sometimes it won't even let me, and every once in a while it works, but then after a day or so it stops. It's so bizarre. So if someone had their screen replaced, will his face ID ever work? It was replaced through verizons warranty plan.

Totally unnecessary, in this case my "tin foil hat" has nothing to do with my face ID randomly stopping only after the update was performed. However, in many other situations, which don't apply to my iPhone, my tin foil hat is always correct in the end. Have a nice day!

I’m having the same issues. Flawless Face ID, I updated to 16.3.1 , then it stopped working and I got the same messages as you. iPhone 12. There’s no way it’s a coincidence to an unrelated problem. The update had to have changed something for the worse for the Face ID module.

David, your messages are misleading this conversation into wrong direction. Like myself, the problems started AFTER installing the iOS 16.3.1 - before that moment FaceID had worked perfectly. So, I regard very unlike that FaceID fails at the hardware at so many phones at the same time - do you really believe in that?

I am waiting for a patch to iOS 16.3.1 - also stopped all updates on other devices I have. Sad, but can not afford to lose the same functionality on my other devices.

Same thing is happening to me. I have tried to reset my Face ID a few times now… (all updates are current and on 16.3.1) when I try to reset it keeps telling me to reposition my face within the zone (when it is perfectly as always in the zone) then says it’s not available try again later.

so wondering can I go back to fingerprint ID if this is no longer available? And not wanting to pay $300 for this repair. Only 2 year old phone.

This is happening to me too on my iPhone 13 mini. Face ID worked flawlessly for a year and then immediately after allowing it to install the update to 16.3.1 it suddenly started only recognizing my face about 10% of the time I wanted it to. The rest of the time I now I have to enter my passcode.

I have found that it sometimes recognizes me if I bring the phone very, very close to my face - six inches or less - and far closer than I ever had to before. It used to work with the phone just in a comfortable position in my hands while I sit with my arms on my lap, and now I have to lift the phone way closer to my face than ever before to get it to recognize me at all and even then it is marginal. Resetting Face ID and adding an alternative appearance have given no improvement and as others noted often the reset process fails and tells me to move my face even when it is perfectly framed.

It’s clear that this issue is a software bug. Spontaneous, coincidental hardware issues absolutely did not happen to this many users simultaneously on the very same time they got this software update. This needs a bug fix in another iOS update, urgently. Is there a better way than this forum to get that message sent to the Apple developers?

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).

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.

Update: it’s a software bug, introduced in 16.3.1 and fixed in 16.4.1. Rolling back to 16.0 fixed the problem. Apple sent me a new phone a couple days ago, so mine is fixed regardless.

I design and build microcontrollers and integrated circuits for a living, as well as custom power packs. Education and experience aren’t a “tin foil hat”.

Good luck!

yeah mine stopped working the second I updated to iOS 16…. Like nothing happened to my phone. I updated and 5min later it magically won’t unlock and it’s a hardware issue. Sure. That’s how hardware works. It just randomly stops functioning because of updates and these things aren’t related at all….

How did you get Apple to give you a replacement. I updated (I believe) at 16.2 and I didn’t want to but I was told that my deleted texts would come back in a deleted text folder (it did not. They claimed to ask a supervisor because I was apprehensive but they assured me this would happen. Not true.) Then my Face ID immediately stopped working. Now with the 16.4 update my phone is ghost writing after it auto updated…. My Face ID still doesn’t work.

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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Same here. iPhone X Face ID worked without fail for over 5 years no problem. Until I upgraded to iOS 16.4.1. It now states Face ID has detected a problem and has been disabled and all steps to reactivate have failed too.... So let me translate... "We at Apple want you to buy a new phone and so covertly and dishonestly we are stopping the phone from using a key function so that it inconveniences you so much that you buy an upgraded iPhone from us" ...

Anyone remember the legal action Apple faced after slowing down and killing batteries remotely of older phones .. they admitted as such and this is just another ploy and tactic to get more sales. B*****s!

My son had the same issue and with the most recent phone update the Face ID issue fixed but mine did not. It worked fine until 16.3.1 was installed. The new update didn’t fix the problem. Went to Apple Store and the guy ran diagnostics and said it’s a hardware problem and since my phone is over a year it’s not covered and it would cost $250ish to fix. He said “I should have come in sooner” but the update didn’t even come out till after my phone was over a year old and it was just fine until then. I didn’t get it fixed. It’s ridiculous. It’s def an apple issue not a phone issue.