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

Reply
Question marked as Best reply

Posted on Nov 29, 2023 5:06 AM

It’s a gigantic pain in the ***. This have been happening for months and not a word from Apple. You are one of hundreds who have had the misfortune of upgrading to the latest iOS and had FaceID break indefinitely. As before, log it as an issue as Apple won’t budge until they see a critical mass complain. Feedback - iPhone - Apple


286 replies

Nov 23, 2023 3:39 PM in response to sajam

I fixed the issue. For me there was a little dirt in the IR sensor just to the left of the speaker/notch at the top of the screen. You really can’t see it we'll. I had deleted my Face ID to reset back up and it wouldn’t detect me. Cleaned that area off and then it worked and let me set back up. Not sure if I even needed to reset face. Maybe the iOS 17 uses that sensor more to open Face ID or just coincidence. It is an easy thing to try and it fixed it for me. So first try wiping that spot on your phone screen and see if Face ID works.

Nov 24, 2023 9:40 AM in response to sajam

Updated my phone now face id don't work, then I get in my car and apple play no longer works either. I reset all the settings couple different times, and restarted the phone with no luck. My husband is having same issues with car play. We both have Iphone 14 promax and updated to 17.1.1 Next I will do a factory reset, if that don't work I'm going back to android.

Nov 29, 2023 11:32 AM in response to Itsjustme8869

I posted this last week. Try this it’s the easiest fix if it works

I fixed the issue. For me there was a little dirt in the IR sensor just to the left of the speaker/notch at the top of the screen. You really can’t see it well. I had deleted my Face ID to reset back up and it wouldn’t detect me. Cleaned that area off and then it worked and let me set back up. Not sure if I even needed to reset face. Maybe the iOS 17 uses that sensor more to open Face ID or just coincidence. It is an easy thing to try and it fixed it for me. So first try cleaning that spot on your phone screen and see if Face ID works.

Nov 30, 2023 11:48 PM in response to sajam

This has now happened to me twice on the back of software updates. Issue occurred for me too (on my 14 pro max) . Reading this thread I did the ‘reset iPhone’ suggestion and it has solved the issue, BUT I’ve rolled back to 16.x software. It’s pushing to update to 17.2 software but I’m reluctant, as clearly there’s an issue with this update. I also read that users had same issue on their older phones. I had a 13 pro max and the same issue occurred with face ID failing after the 16.2 update. In addition I couldn’t reset Face ID as the true depth camera in face ID set up would not acknowledge my face! In the end I upgraded to 14 pro max. Disappointing to see this happening again

Dec 7, 2023 1:25 PM in response to sajam

I just got this iPhone 14 on Nov 23, brand new. My Face ID didn’t work on several occasions while trying to download some apps today. So I decided to rest my Face ID and redo it. Now I can’t even redo it. The camera won’t recognize my face within that stupid square box. This phone isn’t even a month old. I tried to turn it off and it still is not working. Very frustrated!!!!

Dec 8, 2023 7:55 AM in response to sajam

I have a 14 plus. As soon as the 17.1.2 installed the face ID stopped working. Update your phone to make it better and it gets worse. I can go to the face ID set up and start it, I follow the instructions exact. It says lower your face, move it back, raise it up and then it says face ID not available. I have heard the android is better and I'm about to find out. What a joke!

Dec 9, 2023 7:33 AM in response to sajam

I have had the same ongoing FaceID recognition problem. I have tried what has been suggested but to no avail. I have an iPhone 13 Pro Max which has had other issues which Apple customer support staff downplay or try to blame it on anything but their products. I have had a major battery issue where it swelled up to crack the casing and pressure other components. The phone had around 18 months of use. Every component used with the phone for charging are Apple products which were bought for this specific phone. I wasn’t near an iPhone store so had to stop at a cellular repair store. The guy showed me the battery and cracked casing. He also said the battery would have caught fire sooner rather than later. It was swollen and distorted. I brought it in to the Apple Store as soon as I could which was a couple of days later. After waiting over 40 minutes to get someone to look at it, I was told “That’s real bad. Good thing you came in. But I’ve seen worse” I couldn’t believe it, they know about the problem, but still they weren’t willing to do anything. I was basically told “You’ve already had the battery changed so there is nothing more we can do. I have people waiting” With the latest FaceID problem and the other ongoing problems I have to say I am very disappointed by Apple. I was expecting a lot better.

Dec 9, 2023 12:06 PM in response to sajam

Same thing happened to me. I have a XS that I have as a spare. Updated to iOS 16, immediately after that the face id stopped working. Never had a screen replacement, never been out of a life proof case. Reset it, it worked for a few days then it defaulted to this error message regardless of software updates. They Bricked it. I'm posting this from a new pixel needless to say.

Dec 12, 2023 12:45 PM in response to sajam

Bonsoir tout le monde.


J'ai eu ce soir un technicien (du plus haut rang) au téléphone plus d'une heure. Nous avons évoqué ce forum et il m'a certifié que près de 2000 personnes, c'était pas possible que ça reste ainsi.


Je lui ai expliqué qu'hier j'avais réinitialisé mon téléphone et que FaceID ne fonctionnait toujours pas. Comme par hasard, au moment ou je l'ai eu il fonctionnait. Il m'a proposé de le recontacter par mail quand ça dysfonctionnerait à nouveau, ce que j'ai fait 1 heure après avec une vidéo.


Il veut désormais analyser des log et on se téléphone à nouveau demain. L'étape suivante sera confiée à l'équipe recherche et développement.


Je vous tiendrais au courant. Je ne sais pas si tout ça est pris au sérieux mais ça laisse penser que si.

Face ID stopped working on my iPhone after iOS 17 update

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple ID.