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How often does FaceID work for you?


  • Total voters
    145

myscrnnm

macrumors 68000
Sep 16, 2014
1,941
1,660
Seattle, WA
I’ve found that FaceID doesn’t work when I’m not wearing my glasses. Thinking about resetting it when not wearing glasses and see if that helps. Also the angles it is able to read at are pretty limited when the phone is on my desk.
 
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Packers1958

macrumors 68000
Apr 16, 2017
1,955
2,589
South Dakota
I’ve found that FaceID doesn’t work when I’m not wearing my glasses. Thinking about resetting it when not wearing glasses and see if that helps. Also the angles it is able to read at are pretty limited when the phone is on my desk.
That's how I set mine up. Works much better to set up FaceID without glasses on. I think the AR coating on most glasses keeps the sensor from getting an accurate reading when setting up. Once setup with glasses off, the AR coating doesnt seem to cause issues.
 
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Gryzor

macrumors 6502a
Jun 20, 2010
758
326
It depends on how well you rotate your head when setting it up. I was at a friends today and it was 100% flawless especially with it set so you don't need to be looking directly at it. With glasses, without...sunglasses, hat, whatever, it worked every time, in the dark too.
 

Packers1958

macrumors 68000
Apr 16, 2017
1,955
2,589
South Dakota
It depends on how well you rotate your head when setting it up. I was at a friends today and it was 100% flawless especially with it set so you don't need to be looking directly at it. With glasses, without...sunglasses, hat, whatever, it worked every time, in the dark too.
Turning off attention detection does make it easier, but less secure. I tried that, and it worked fine, but then when I turned it back on, the phone did not unlock right away, as if it was trying to relearn my face. So if you do turn attention detection off after setting up, and then back on, it may take a few tries to unlock again.
 

Newtons Apple

Suspended
Mar 12, 2014
22,757
15,254
Jacksonville, Florida
I never expected face ID to be as good as it is. Did the setup in the car with no sunglasses. Has worked every time even with glasses and sunglasses. It is at the point where I forget about it working.
 

DylPickle85

macrumors member
Jun 19, 2009
55
0
mine works fine without glasses, but I've tried multiple pairs of sunglasses in different lighting conditions and it fails consistently. i'm trying to unlock the phone outside when wearing glasses and it wont recognize me. I've updated to the latest OS and re-measured my face a few times to confirm..
 

gorkt

macrumors 6502a
Sep 15, 2007
718
597
Mine works about 90% of the time, failing occasionally in bright sunlight and with my glasses.
 

gamerish

macrumors regular
Jun 20, 2012
131
10
I wear glasses and was having issues, not so much with complete misreads of my face but with delays in recognition. However, turning off attention awareness and enabling raise to wake has since made it seem like I don't even have any sort of authentification enabled. I just swipe up, it's awesome. It's recognized me with glasses, without glasses, with two different hair styles and me in a hat (visibly hungover too, I'll add) without an issue.
 
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DylPickle85

macrumors member
Jun 19, 2009
55
0
I wear glasses and was having issues, not so much with complete misreads of my face but with delays in recognition. However, turning off attention awareness and enabling raise to wake has since made it seem like I don't even have any sort of authentification enabled. I just swipe up, it's awesome. It's recognized me with glasses, without glasses, with two different hair styles and me in a hat (visibly hungover too, I'll add) without an issue.

Good call! Turning off "Require Attention for Face ID" fixed the issue. I'll give it a try for the next day and see how it is. Thanks for the tip.
 

ABC5S

Suspended
Sep 10, 2013
3,395
1,646
Florida
It’s a shame that Apple will not allow you to put more than one Face ID onto the system. One with glasses and one without glasses. Pretty much like touch ID allows you to put more than one fingerprint onto the system
 
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UltimateSyn

macrumors 601
Mar 3, 2008
4,974
9,229
Massachusetts
Does anyone know the fastest way to get TouchID to try a second attempt? As in, it’s looking at you and shakes the lock, indicating a failed unlock. I have found continuing to stare at the phone won’t do anything, so I usually relock and unlock the screen. Anyone know a faster way?
 
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maflynn

macrumors Haswell
May 3, 2009
73,682
43,740
I wear glasses and I'm finding FaceID just isn't that consistent. I didn't think it was related to my glasses, until I saw this thread.

Overall, I'm finding faceid to be less effecient then TouchID ever was. Its water over the bridge now, but this is one area that I am disappointed in what would otherwise be a great experience in having the X.
 

macgabe

macrumors 6502
Dec 29, 2012
341
296
I'm getting a refund on my iPhone X, sending it back tomorrow. I've been using it all weekend and FaceID is just too irritating when it doesn't work, which is about 40% of the time.

I love the phone, I love FaceID when it works, but each time it doesn't work, I wonder whether I should try repositioning it or myself, stand up, put my glasses on, take my glasses off, and then still punch the code in after 30 seconds, or should I just forget it and just punch the code in.

That's irritating because then I think my old 5S would have opened instantly, and maybe I should have just got an 8.

So I'm sending it back.

IMHO A bit like touchID in the early stages it's a year or two away from being really great for me. But in this case it slows opening, whereas touchID even if it didn't work never made things worse. The work around is to set autolock to a long time, but that is not very secure.

I think it's a prescription glasses problem because it often doesn't work when I take my glasses off. I don't think this will affect everybody because I tried the phone with someone else with weak reading glasses and it worked 100% instantly for her in all situations.

Wondering if any other short-sighted people having this problem.

EDIT 3 days later: Decided to keep the phone after all - I like it too much! I set the autolock to 3 mins so that covers most situations (reading etc). It now unlocks 99% of the time during the day. Just doesn't at night without glasses, but once I punch the code in, I stay in because of scrolling etc. So I'm willing to put up with that inconvenience.
 
Last edited:

44267547

Cancelled
Jul 12, 2016
37,642
42,495
Did you try Face ID with the attention setting turned off? It helps so it's not focusing on your eyes.
 
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MJedi

macrumors 6502a
Dec 16, 2010
899
386
I'm sorry to hear you're having trouble with Face ID.

I wear prescription glasses for near-sightedness all the time, and Face ID works about 99% for me. Have you tried resetting and doing the Face ID setup again? Also, if it does fail, and you enter your passcode right away, Face ID is supposed to update its scan of your face.
 
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Five_Oh

macrumors 6502
Jan 7, 2017
396
313
Flyover Country, USA
I have not had any issues with or without glasses on. Probably running 95% first attempt success rate now and seemingly getting better.

Sorry you did not experience similar results.
 

Jjayf

macrumors 6502
May 31, 2015
334
392
Try setting it up again. Do the first pass with glasses and the second pass without. Works like a charm for me with or without glasses. Hoods on, hats on. Hoods and hats. Opened for me in mid yawn yesterday.
 

wchigo

macrumors 6502
Apr 6, 2015
467
218
So I've been using my X everyday since I got it on the 11th, and Face ID has pretty much worked without issue. I also wear glasses (near-sighted) and I've never had an issue with Face ID not unlocking my phone when wearing glasses.

The only issue I've really had with Face ID previously, was unlocking the phone without glasses in low-light conditions or in a dark room with no light. Eventually, I figured out it was a user error. Because I am near-sighted, I hold the phone much closer to my face when I don't have my glasses on, and so I'm assuming Face ID can't get a scan of my full face to authenticate and thus my phone fails to unlock. Ever since I've had that epiphany, I've held my phone a little further away from my face when sans glasses and it's worked without fail.

Give it a try holding it a little further away? That might fix the issue for you as it did for me. Otherwise, I'd suggest maybe setting up Face ID again and see if that improves things?
 

danmart

macrumors 68000
Apr 24, 2015
1,581
1,075
Lancs, UK
Chalk me up as another glasses wearer (short sighted) with 95%+ success rate with FaceID. Even works with wrap-around shades in my experience.
 

geekiemac

macrumors 65816
Feb 13, 2016
1,233
3,978
Sorry about this as I haven't got my iPhone X yet, but isn't the whole point about FaceID its ability to learn your features, each time it fails? Like, you look at the device, if FaceID fails you enter your access code and then FaceID will integrate what it did not recognise so as not to make a mistake the following time.

Once I receive my unit I'll be training it to recognise me with and without glasses (I wear progressive glasses as well as a set of computer/screen specific glasses). I'm assuming FaceID will learn the differences over time, and improve, the same way it happened with TouchID back in its early days.
 
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