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Face ID for notes Help!

Two days ago I could access my locked notes with faceID and password. Today even though faceID is enabled in notes, it doesn’t give me the option of faceID and my password which I know is correct will not work! So I cannot get access to my note. It’s every single password that I have so I desperately need to gain access to this note. I’m awaiting a callback from Apple support. I’ve spent 3 hours tonight trying to get into this note. I am desperate. Any help appreciated

iPad Air 2, iPadOS 15

Posted on May 21, 2023 2:49 PM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on May 22, 2023 8:38 AM

lisafromhucknall wrote:

Thanks. I just can’t understand why faceID won’t work even though it’s turned on and I am 100% sure that I am putting my password on correctly.
I am lost


Apple depends on passcodes and passwords, not Face ID or Touch ID.


Face ID and Touch ID are ways to avoid entering passwords or passcodes as often, but do not replace the password or passcode.


With no passcode and no hint here, the data will be protected against access.


Unfortunately including your attempts, here.


The following is from iOS 16 and shows using the device passcode for the note, which is a feature of iPadOS 16. A similarly-worded warning shown in the highlighted text below was present in earlier iPadOS versions.




In this particular case and unlike many other cases involving unknown or forgotten passwords and passcodes, trying every passcode you can think of here will not lock things up permanently. In most other cases, attempting to brute-force a password or passcode will lock things up.

3 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

May 22, 2023 8:38 AM in response to lisafromhucknall

lisafromhucknall wrote:

Thanks. I just can’t understand why faceID won’t work even though it’s turned on and I am 100% sure that I am putting my password on correctly.
I am lost


Apple depends on passcodes and passwords, not Face ID or Touch ID.


Face ID and Touch ID are ways to avoid entering passwords or passcodes as often, but do not replace the password or passcode.


With no passcode and no hint here, the data will be protected against access.


Unfortunately including your attempts, here.


The following is from iOS 16 and shows using the device passcode for the note, which is a feature of iPadOS 16. A similarly-worded warning shown in the highlighted text below was present in earlier iPadOS versions.




In this particular case and unlike many other cases involving unknown or forgotten passwords and passcodes, trying every passcode you can think of here will not lock things up permanently. In most other cases, attempting to brute-force a password or passcode will lock things up.

May 21, 2023 3:04 PM in response to lisafromhucknall

Without the expected passcode, the data is inaccessible.


The passcode is the data decryption key.


Face ID is not a substitute for the passcode, same as with the device passcode.


You can try as many tries with that passcode as you want, but only the correct code will work.


There is no other means to access that data, and no backdoor, and the encryption used is robust.

Face ID for notes Help!

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