FaceID stops working until you restart the phone. Camera is fine though.

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Level 1

32 points

FaceID stops working until you restart the phone. Camera is fine though.

Since having my iPhone X I have to restart it at least once a day. FaceID will work happily and then you will go to login, last time could have been 5 minutes ago. And it will say: Passcode needs to be entered to enable FaceID. Different message to the one you get when you restart the phone. Once you get this it won’t work again until you restart the phone. Am on latest IOS and have reset up FaceID a couple of times but still keeps happening. Any ideas?!

iPhone X, iOS 11.1, FaceID

Posted on Nov 20, 2017 12:34 PM

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Answer 1

Best reply

Simoker Author

Level 1

32 points

Nov 21, 2017 7:35 AM in response to Teddy_B

Thank you for that, appreciated.

I had already reviewed those suggestions online and unfortunately they aren't valid. First thing in the morning obviously the 4 hour one is true but not a few minutes later when it has worked multiple times. Also to hit these multiple times a day would seem a but unlikely.

I met my first other iphone X user earlier today and he is having the same problems i'm afraid.

Other suggestions? Feels very software orientated as a problem.

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Answer 2

Nirmal76

Level 1

4 points

Nov 28, 2017 8:28 PM in response to sir_tessir

I have had this problem since the first day of iPhone was released. I have restored iPhone multiple times. I did restore from back up . I have reset all settings and I have restored and set up as new iPhone with just essential applications to rule out conflicting application. The frequency hs going down to maybe just once per day but it still is happening and requires a restart. I wonder if this is what happened during keynote?

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Answer 3

Nov 29, 2017 10:33 AM in response to Simoker

Same issue here. It’s happened several times in the past two weeks. The FaceID tech just simply stops working until I restart. In my Apollo app, which uses FaceID as secure login, it also doesn’t work. It doesn’t even seem to scan and fail, it’s like the camera doesn’t see anything to even begin the scan. Again, all is fixed upon restart but it’s a very annoying bug. It’s definitely some kind of bug and not user error.

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Answer 4

Teddy_B

Community Specialist

Nov 21, 2017 7:25 AM in response to Simoker

Hi Simoker,

I understand that you are having some issues with Face ID intermittently not working and instead asking for your passcode. I'm happy to provide some help for this issue.

Check out the information in the following article for advice on when you may be required to enter your passcode:

Get help with Face ID on your iPhone X - Apple Support

If you need to enter your passcode

You might need to enter your passcode or Apple ID instead of using Face ID in these situations:

The device has just been turned on or restarted.

The device hasn’t been unlocked for more than 48 hours.

The passcode hasn’t been used to unlock the device in the last six and a half days and Face ID hasn't unlocked the device in the last 4 hours.

The device has received a remote lock command.

After five unsuccessful attempts to match a face.

After initiating power off/Emergency SOS by pressing and holding either volume button and the side button simultaneously for 2 seconds.

If the device's battery is below 10%.

Thanks for using the Apple Support Communities. Cheers!

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Answer 5

Nov 23, 2017 9:48 AM in response to Simoker

Same here... After face id fails to detect my face I can only unlock iPhone with password. It also can’t scan my face im face id settings - it say’s that there is no face in front of camera...

After restart everything starts to work.

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Answer 6

Nov 25, 2017 4:20 PM in response to asherwood

Hope that is something wrong with software, not with hardware...

More and more people are getting exactly the same problem - Face ID locks, iPhone asks for password and we have to restart iPhone to make Face ID work again...

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Answer 7

Nov 27, 2017 3:51 AM in response to GoodvinTheFirst

Not work ;( I tried to restore DFU + iTunes, after that trying to restore from iCloud and as new - nothing works. After few minutes iPhone locks and I can’t use Face ID...

Good to hear that more and more people are getting the same problem - maybe it’s not hardware problem...

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Answer 8

Nirmal76

Level 1

4 points

Nov 28, 2017 8:49 PM in response to Teddy_B

Tried all the suggestions and setting up as new iPhone with very apps and still does it. It seems less often. Maybe depending on how many apps require network access and that is what is causing issues

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Answer 9

Simoker Author

Level 1

32 points

Nov 29, 2017 11:37 AM in response to RockNFknRoll

Interesting, half a dozen X users I’ve now met have the same issue, most on a daily basis (including everyone on here) but today I met the first person with a white/silver X and they have not had it once.

Same IOS and firmware.

Other people getting the issue on white/silver phones?

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Answer 10

Simoker Author

Level 1

32 points

Nov 29, 2017 6:46 PM in response to asherwood

That is positive in a way!

Am on about 5th restart today, I accept I use my phone all day for work reasons, there must be a pattern to this issue but can’t spot it.

In simple code terms though it seems there isn’t enough retry Face ID recognition processes before locking ID out.

Maybe the retry is too quick and only has 10 attempts (which take couple of seconds) and now we are in winter (uk) people have scarves, hats etc which is throwing it out. Understandable but let retries happen?

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Answer 11

Nov 30, 2017 2:28 PM in response to GoodvinTheFirst

After two days I got info that I'll get new iPhone and I have to wait about 5 days. I live in Poland, we don't have Apple Stores and that is why we have to wait. So all in all it's about one week time.

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Answer 12

pauln79

Level 1

12 points

Dec 6, 2017 9:19 PM in response to Simoker

I have the silver X and from day one this has been an issue. Restart phone, enter passcode, lock phone, Face ID works. An hour later Face ID stops working. I have tried locking and unlocking with Face ID every 5 minutes and consistently at the hour+/- it stops working. I am wondering if like background apps the phone is killing the process to control Face ID. Just a gut feeling but it’s the only thing that makes sense to me.

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Answer 13

Simoker Author

Level 1

32 points

Dec 7, 2017 5:01 PM in response to sir_tessir

Thanks and pleased to hear that.

I know we had a post from Australia saying in summer they are having the problem but I haven’t had it once since landing in Barbados 7 days ago but everyone in UK I know (growing list) is still having it ... doesn’t feel like co-incidence but some response from Apple might be nice at some point!

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Answer 14

Dec 10, 2017 12:19 AM in response to Simoker

I hoped the problem was solved by one of the many app updates. My iPhone x worked straight for 2-3 days i.s.o. reboot 2 times a day, but today, when I woke up the face recognition failed again and only started working after reboot. Perhaps interesting is that the 'lock' showed at startup did not shake, so it is not that the phone does not recognize me, but it just has apparently the process face recognition not working.

Tomorrow I am going to call Apple service again and discuss what can be done... I am still not confident that the solution is a new iPhone x..

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Answer 15

Dec 24, 2017 12:35 AM in response to alzww

Hi,

I had contact with the helpdesk and they mentioned that it might be caused by restoring the backup file from my previous iPhone 6. Advice is to do a clean install. I did not have the time yet, since it implies installing all my apps again... A good clean up after several generations but still.. Will let know if it works. Statement was, this is the last try, if it does not work (face recognition) then it should be a replacement.

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