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Face ID not working after iOS 15.6 update

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Barf1312184

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Sep 17, 2016
20
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Is anyone having issues with Face ID after updating to iOS 15.6?
After performing the update yesterday Face ID started to only work about 1 out of 10 times. I tried resetting Face ID but that was a project as the phone would not recognize my face to do so. Eventually I was able to get a new scan done but it still only works intermittently (and then it is only if I lift my phone up to eye level with an outstretched arm and look straight ahead). In the past I have had no issues with glasses, a mask, simply looking down at my phone in my hands.
(iPhone 13 pro max)
 
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Works fine here. I did have that problem with 15 when it first came out. I deleted the picture then I did a soft reset and redid the Face ID set up. Worked fine ever since.
 
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I've been having this issue intermittently too on my iPhone 13 Pro ever since I updated. Has anyone found a solution? It doesn't seem to be a widespread issue so far
 
I had the same problem. I called Apple support. They ran a diagnostic and said I had a hardware problem. I suspect the iOS update in certain conditions is having trouble with the hardware or thinks it does. I can’t take it to a store for a week or so.

I have setup Face ID a few more times. Setup doesn’t work easily. On my third try of setting up Face ID.. when unlocking I can put my face like 6 inches from the phone and it will unlock about 1/3 of them time.
 
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asdfgibsonasdf said:
I had the same problem. I called Apple support. They ran a diagnostic and said I had a hardware problem. I suspect the iOS update in certain conditions is having trouble with the hardware or thinks it does. I can’t take it to a store for a week or so.

I have setup Face ID a few more times. Setup doesn’t work easily. On my third try of setting up Face ID.. when unlocking I can put my face like 6 inches from the phone and it will unlock about 1/3 of them time.
Click to expand...
Mine's been wonky too (iOS 16 public beta, 13 Pro). I noticed, when reinstalling the face ID, that one upper corner of the picture simply wasn't able to complete the circle. I went into some brighter light and it finally completed the scan. Still badly wonky.
 
asdfgibsonasdf said:
it seems like my face id is working consistently at the moment. I've done nothing to fix the issue. i'm a bit perplexed.
Click to expand...
Strangely, mine has been working again for the past day or so. Not gonna complain, but don't recall any update happening (though it might have been the 20A5312j build).
 
I am also one of the unlucky folks for whom this is also broken. Does appear to be related (at least in time) to the 15.6 update. My Face ID works maybe 1 out of every 10 times. The other 9 times are maddening.

EDIT: just tried the "reset face id" option in settings. Face id won't even set up. It never gets to the scanning function. Not sure if it does not see my face, or what. Ugh.
 
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Registered to report that I’m having the same issues on one of my family’s two iPhone 13s after the 15.6 update. Almost like the camera is having trouble focusing.

Update: it seems to have smoothed out over the day and seems to be working ok.
 
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Updated days ago, all of the sudden started having this issue this morning. Tried adding an appearance and got "face ID not available". Tried to reset and just kept getting a message to either lower or raise my iPhone. Very frustrating. Not sure what to do at this point.
 
I'm having the same issue. I setup face id again, but had to reboot to get setup to work. It worked once, then stopped working consistently. I have rebooted to no avail. Mine is an iPhone 13 mini.
 
I’m so glad I found this thread as I’m having the exact same problems.
Face ID works intermittently with camera not seeing me if I try and reset the picture.
13 Pro Max on 15.6.
 
Barf1312184 said:
Is anyone having issues with Face ID after updating to iOS 15.6?
After performing the update yesterday Face ID started to only work about 1 out of 10 times. I tried resetting Face ID but that was a project as the phone would not recognize my face to do so. Eventually I was able to get a new scan done but it still only works intermittently (and then it is only if I lift my phone up to eye level with an outstretched arm and look straight ahead). In the past I have had no issues with glasses, a mask, simply looking down at my phone in my hands.
(iPhone 13 pro max)
Click to expand...
I just started Having this issue two days ago with my iPhone 13 pro max iOS 15.6 (which has been installed for over a week.)

Almost exactly as you described above. Resetting Face ID doesn’t work, tells
me to raise the phone higher, next lower the phone then refocus because my face is out of the frame, etc. I reset the phone to factory settings and Restored using an iCloud back up. Didn’t work. Then reset the phone again and this time restored it from a backup I had on my personal PC hard drive. Still no luck.
Contacted Apple, they suggested my local tech support so I took it to local Best Buy which ran diagnostics however they couldn’t determine anything that they could do to fix it. So after two days of phone calls and a trip to Apple / Best Buy tech support, Apple has agreed to send me a new phone.
 
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Just downloaded 15.6.1 and Face ID seems to be back to normal, anyone else found this?
 
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Barf1312184 said:
Is anyone having issues with Face ID after updating to iOS 15.6?
After performing the update yesterday Face ID started to only work about 1 out of 10 times. I tried resetting Face ID but that was a project as the phone would not recognize my face to do so. Eventually I was able to get a new scan done but it still only works intermittently (and then it is only if I lift my phone up to eye level with an outstretched arm and look straight ahead). In the past I have had no issues with glasses, a mask, simply looking down at my phone in my hands.
(iPhone 13 pro max)
Click to expand...
Same here - randomly worked and now, I can't reset my Face ID as I keep getting messages "face is out of view," " move phone away from face" and "lower the iPhone." I tried rebooting but that did not resolve it, so will have to constantly use passcode until this new issue is fixed.
 
Barf1312184 said:
Is anyone having issues with Face ID after updating to iOS 15.6?
After performing the update yesterday Face ID started to only work about 1 out of 10 times. I tried resetting Face ID but that was a project as the phone would not recognize my face to do so. Eventually I was able to get a new scan done but it still only works intermittently (and then it is only if I lift my phone up to eye level with an outstretched arm and look straight ahead). In the past I have had no issues with glasses, a mask, simply looking down at my phone in my hands.
(iPhone 13 pro max)
Click to expand...
Okay, update. I removed my phone case and was immediately able to set up ID - not sure why it now works as nothing was blocking my cameras, but it's okay now.
 
floridienne said:
Okay, update. I removed my phone case and was immediately able to set up ID - not sure why it now works as nothing was blocking my cameras, but it's okay now.
Click to expand...
I ended up making an appointment at the Apple Store.
They did all the diagnostic test, hard reset and still Face ID wouldn’t work.
They ended up changing the Face ID module whilst I waited. It now works fine.
 
Same problem on my 13 mini after upgrading to 15.6.1. I may have found success by turning off “Require Attemtion for Face ID.”

I first followed advice to reset Face ID and almost gave up because it wouldn’t recognize my face in the frame. Finally got through that with no improvement. Then played with other settings. Only Require Attention for Face ID seemed to improve the problem. 🤞🏼
 
Did anybody try this magic finger to knock your Face ID out of working again ? Watch this Chinese guy's tip on
 
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