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iPhone 12 Mini - Face ID Landscape Mode

At this Apple support link, it says: “Unlock your iPhone or iPad with Face ID - …On iPad or iPhone 12 or later, you can hold your device in either portrait or landscape orientation.”

Dated 1/27/23


Use Face ID on your iPhone or iPad Pro - Apple Support


I have not been able to get this to work in landscape mode on the iPhone 12 Mini. Anyone have any suggestions?

iPhone 12 mini, iOS 16

Posted on Apr 11, 2023 11:23 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Apr 14, 2023 4:05 PM

I just spoke to a senior Apple advisor, and they confirmed a March 2023 internal document that said that landscape Face ID only works on the 13 and 14.

The customer-facing information is incorrect, and they said they will put in a request to have it corrected.


Thanks Konrad for your input! It is really helpful to be able to confirm that someone else has the same problem.

5 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Apr 14, 2023 4:05 PM in response to konrad201

I just spoke to a senior Apple advisor, and they confirmed a March 2023 internal document that said that landscape Face ID only works on the 13 and 14.

The customer-facing information is incorrect, and they said they will put in a request to have it corrected.


Thanks Konrad for your input! It is really helpful to be able to confirm that someone else has the same problem.

Apr 12, 2023 4:00 PM in response to LEGO Damashii

Thanks for reaching out LEGO Damashii,


It sounds like you're trying to use Face ID in landscape mode on your iPhone 12 mini. We can help.


Be sure to check out the complete section you referenced above when you Use Face ID on your iPhone or iPad Pro:


On iPad or iPhone 12 or later, you can hold your device in either portrait or landscape orientation. If it's in landscape orientation, make sure that your finger isn't covering the TrueDepth camera. Then glance at the screen.


Give that a try, and if you're still having trouble you can connect with Apple directly using either http://getsupport.apple.com or if you're in a region without direct support options, you can also Contact Apple for support and service. Also, consider using the device in portrait mode as a workaround for the time being.


Hope that helps.


Take care.


Apr 14, 2023 4:22 AM in response to LEGO Damashii

I should have specified what kind of suggestions I was looking for.

I am not covering the camera with my finger. It works very reliably in portrait orientation, but not at all in landscape orientation. I’m on iOS 16.4.1.


  1. Has anyone been able to get Face ID to work in landscape orientation on the iPhone 12 Mini?
  2. Is there a listing of what *specific* models have this feature?
  3. Is it possible that the 12 Mini is excluded from the phones that are capable of Face ID in landscape orientation?


Thanks.

iPhone 12 Mini - Face ID Landscape Mode

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