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Face ID stopped working on my iPhone after iOS 17 update

Updated my iPhone 11 to.ios 17.01 last night. Since then, my face id won't work. I get error messages or it says face id not available. I thought I could reset face ID but it's not letting me do that either

. Rebooting the phone didn't help. Everything was working fine until the ios 17 update finished installing.


[Re-Titled by Moderator]

Posted on Sep 22, 2023 6:13 AM

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Posted on Feb 23, 2024 2:46 PM

Here are some of the solutions mentioned in this guide: How to Fix Face ID Not Working on iPhone After iOS 17 Update


First of all you should try to restart your device( different way ) : go to settings > General > their shutdown, wait for a few minutes then power it on. Make sure your notch area is clean and clear. you said you already reset face id then skip this step. If nothing else works then according to them erase all content from your phone hope this step will fix the issue. For the steps please refer to the guide I mentioned.

370 replies
Question marked as Best reply

Feb 23, 2024 2:46 PM in response to sajam

Here are some of the solutions mentioned in this guide: How to Fix Face ID Not Working on iPhone After iOS 17 Update


First of all you should try to restart your device( different way ) : go to settings > General > their shutdown, wait for a few minutes then power it on. Make sure your notch area is clean and clear. you said you already reset face id then skip this step. If nothing else works then according to them erase all content from your phone hope this step will fix the issue. For the steps please refer to the guide I mentioned.

Oct 9, 2023 1:17 PM in response to sajam

I too have an IPhone 11 with Face ID problem. The store rep said to hit the VOLUME UP button> VOLUME DOWN button > then the BUTTON on the right, to do a soft reset. Wait a moment and restart your phone. When back on go into SETTINGS >FACE ID & PASSCODE >RESET FACE ID. It didn’t work the first time I did it, but the second time it did work. I did not have to do a hard reset. I hope this helps.

Nov 24, 2023 9:55 AM in response to Itsjustme8869

Sorry to hear this. It’s a problem that many many people are encountering and there is no fix. The only thing you can do is to report it to Apple as only a significant number of complaints will lead to it being acknowledged and who knows, maybe fixed. Feedback - iPhone - Apple


I have spoken to a Tech journalist who may write a story about this. If anyone knows anyone similar, now may be time to go public and shout from the rooftops that Face ID - a key security feature of Apple iPhone has been broken mysteriously for many many users, since iOS 16.4/ iOS 17.

Oct 13, 2023 1:37 PM in response to lpesenson

Ok, I got it working with glasses and without fail. Don't know if all the steps are needed, but these are the steps:

(iPhone 13 standard, iOS 17.0.3)

  1. Reset face ID (after doing this I could not recreate face ID, despite hard reboots)
  2. Clean lens
  3. recreate face ID (worked immediately after cleaning lens)
  4. turn off attention feature (I know it's more secure, but having to enter passcode after several failed recognition attempts is way less secure)
  5. A hard reboot never hurts, but probably not needed

Now it works immediately. I think camera lens wipe is the most important part, so maybe if I did that to begin with there may not be an issue to fix, so I would start with that.

Dec 11, 2023 1:41 PM in response to sajam

According to Apple:

Using diagnostics available in iOS 14.6 or later, Apple has detected an issue with your TrueDepth camera that might cause it to not function as expected. The TrueDepth camera contains lasers, which might be disabled for safety reasons if the device malfunctions or is damaged. This won't prevent you from using your iPhone or iPad, but until your iPhone or iPad is updated or serviced, you might not be able to use Face ID, Animoji, Memoji, and some other features that use the front camera.


As a result, I recommend service.


Service Checklist:



Click ▶︎ Start a Service Request. ⚛️



Need more help?


Click ▶︎ Check Repair Status.

Nov 8, 2023 8:33 AM in response to SimonDCZ

Some not so good news. I spoke to an Apple Senior Advisor EMEIA for an hour on the phone. The issue has been logged and they have ONE other report of it in the entire company. Right now, the directive is to have the devices repaired physically as they have no other information to go on. Estimated repair is €700!! They will not take one or two peoples experience on board. There must be a large volume of complaints for them to believe you and take action. They advised as many people as possible to feed back to them, and even then, they may not do anything. Estimated repair is €700!! So please, everyone, send your experience to Product Feedback - Apple


Face ID stopped working on my iPhone after iOS 17 update

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