Early reports have it that some iPhone owners suddenly have trouble using Face ID after updating to iOS 13. If you’re one of the affected users, this post highlights some applicable workarounds and potential solutions to the problem. Read on to learn what to do if your iPhone Face ID suddenly stops working after updating to iOS 13.
When trying to set up Face ID on your iPhone and you’re prompted with an error message that says, “Face ID is not Available. Try setting up Face ID later,” or “Face ID setup error” and the like, it’s possibly due to some random system glitches inflicted by the iOS 13 update. And if that’s the case, performing some tweaks to rectify the errors and to eliminate associated symptoms is necessary.
Before we move on to our troubleshooting, if you are looking for a solution to a different issue, make sure you drop by our troubleshooting page as we’ve already addressed some of the most common problems reported by our readers. Find issues that are similar with yours and use the solutions we suggested. If you still need our help after that, then feel free to contact us by filling up our iOSissues questionnaire.
Troubleshooting iPhone with Face ID issue after iOS 13
Before troubleshooting, make sure that nothing is covering your face. Also ensure that nothing is covering the TrueDepth camera and that you are facing the TrueDepth camera on your device. If that doesn’t do any good and Face ID still fails to work on your iPhone, go ahead and start ruling out possible culprits.
First solution: Force restart your iPhone.
Minor iOS update bugs are often remedied by a device restart either a soft reset or forced restart. In this case, performing a forced restart on the iPhone is likely what’s needed because your device might have been stuck on the Face ID detection process and couldn’t get past through it. Similar to a soft reset, a forced restart dumps junk files that are stored among other cached files on your iPhone apps and iOS folders. Symptoms that are attributed to system data corruptions are usually cleared out through this method. The steps in performing a forced restart vary depending on the iPhone model in use.
If your iPhone doesn’t have a physical Home button, then follow these steps to force restart:
- Quickly press and release the Volume Up button.
- Quickly press and release the Volume Down button.
- Then, press and hold the Power button until the Apple logo appears.
If you’re using an iPhone or iPad with a physical Home button, then follow these steps to carry out a forced restart:
- Simultaneously press and hold the Power button and Home button until the device shuts down and reboots.
- When the Apple logo appears, release both the Power and Home buttons.
Wait for the phone to finish booting up and once it’s ready, retry using iOS services that require Face ID unlock to access. If the problem continues and Face ID still doesn’t work, proceed to the next step to rule out other factors.
ALSO READ: Fix WhatsApp that’s not working on your Apple iPhone after iOS 13 update
Second solution: Check and manage Face ID settings on your iPhone.
Your previous Face ID settings might have been changed automatically from the update and the recent changes inflicted some conflicts. To clear this out, verify and ensure that Face ID is still properly set up and enabled for certain iOS features. Just refer to these steps:
- From the Home screen, tap on Settings.
- Select Face ID & Passcode.
- Check and ensure that Face ID is set up.
Also make sure that the features that you’re trying to use Face ID with such as iPhone Unlock, iTunes & App Store, Apple Pay, and Password Autofill are enabled. If they’re not, then simply toggle their respective switches to turn on.
Third solution: Create/register a new Face ID appearance.
Your appearance might have slightly changed and thereby results in Face ID recognition failure after the iOS 13 update implementation. Access and use certain iOS features through Face ID is likewise not possible. In this case, creating an alternate appearance could help. If you wish to give it a try, then here’s how it’s done:
- From your Home screen, tap Settings.
- Select Face ID & Passcode.
- Enter your device passcode when asked to continue.
- Tap the option to Set Up an Alternate Appearance.
- Follow the onscreen instructions to create a new Face ID appearance. Be sure to look straight into your phone and position your face inside the frame.
- Move your head slowly to complete the circle. You can also tap on Accessibility Options if you cannot move your head.
- After completing the first Face ID scan, tap Continue.
- Then move your head slowly to complete the circle for the second time.
- Tap Done when the Face ID setup is finished.
Then try using Face ID-enabled applications or use Face ID to unlock your iPhone and then see if the problem is gone. Proceed to the next applicable solutions if Face ID is still not working as intended.
ALSO READ: How to fix Bluetooth that is not working on your iPhone after iOS 13 update
Fourth solution: Reset Face ID on your iPhone.
When the iOS 13 update was installed, there might be some options or values that have been overridden and eventually inflicting errors to your current Face ID credentials/setup. If that’s the case, then you may have to consider resetting your Face ID. This will allow you to set up Face ID from scratch. Here’s how it’s done:
- Tap Settings from the Home screen.
- Select Face ID & Passcode.
- Then tap the option to Reset Face ID.
- Tap Set Up Face ID and follow the onscreen commands to set it up again.
Reboot your iPhone after successfully setting up your new Face ID and then use it to unlock your iPhone or use other iOS features.
Fifth solution: Reset all settings on your iPhone iOS 13.
Performing settings reset is also recommended to deal with various types of post-update symptoms including Face ID recognition error or Face ID setup error from the iOS 13 update. The type of reset that’s applicable to this case is a reset on all the settings of your iPhone. This will delete all customized settings including automatic overrides or settings changes from the recent iOS update. Any symptoms associated to these errors will also be addressed. If you wish to try it, just follow these steps whenever you’re all set to reset all settings on your iPhone”
- Tap Settings from your Home screen.
- Tap General.
- Scroll down and tap on Reset.
- Choose Reset all settings from the given options.
- Enter your passcode when asked to proceed.
- Finally, tap the option to confirm all settings reset.
After the reset, your iPhone restarts automatically. To see if the problem on Face ID has been remedied, try to unlock your iPhone using Face ID unlock.
If Face ID is still not working after the settings reset, check the date and time settings on your phone. If necessary, use automatic date and time settings so that your device will utilize the current date and time settings based on your current location’s time zone.
ALSO READ: How to fix Wi-Fi that is not working on iPhone after iOS 13 update
Last resort: Erase your iPhone and restore factory defaults.
This can be the key to resolving the issue if complex system errors are at fault. A factory reset erases everything from your device including post-update bugs that caused stubborn symptoms and ruined the Face ID system on your iPhone. But before you proceed, be sure to back up all your important data to iCloud or iTunes so you’d still be able to recover them later. Note that this reset will also erase all saved information on your device storage, hence you could lose personal information in the process. After securing the backup, you can proceed to these steps to carry out a factory reset through settings and set up everything on your iPhone including Face ID as new.
- From the Home screen, tap on Settings.
- Tap General.
- Tap Reset.
- Select the option to Erase all content and settings.
- Enter your passcode to proceed.
- Tap the option to confirm full system reset or factory reset.
The device will then start erasing everything and then restores its factory default settings. When the reset is finished, your iPhone should restart automatically. Just wait until the boot-up sequence is completed and then you can use the start-up wizard to proceed to the initial setup process. Don’t forget to set up Face ID on your iPhone accordingly. Then test to see if Face ID is already working properly again.
Still couldn’t get Face ID to work on your iPhone after iOS 13 update?
This might be a complex iOS bug that requires a dedicated patch code. With that said, you should now escalate the problem to your carrier or Apple Support so that they’ll be notified that such a problem exists. Once they’re informed, follow-up assessments on the issue shall be conducted. And if it’s found to be a new iOS bug, Apple must be obliged to develop and roll out a dedicated Face ID fix patch.
Visiting the nearest Apple genius bar in your place is also recommended to eliminate hardware damage from the underlying causes. While the symptoms started from the iOS 13 update, it doesn’t always denote that the update is to blame. The worst possibility is that your iPhone camera, lens, or other relevant components needed for Face ID to work have obtained some damage. If hardware damage is present on the camera lens or other Face ID components, that’s when you should seek for service or iPhone repair. If your iPhone is still covered by warranty, talk to your iPhone provider/carrier for more details and instructions on how to avail the AppleCare Warranty. Doing so helps you save more bucks from paying for a hefty service charge.
Also make sure that there’s no damage to the camera lens. If the camera lens is covered with dust and dirt, then you should clean it first. You can use a fiber cloth to clean up the camera lens if needed.
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