How to fix Face ID if it doesn't work (Doesn't work at all)

Frequent face contacts, dirty pockets, and other actions may have made the Face ID region of the screen dirty, and the sensors won't read your face. Think of it as if your glasses became foggy - it will be very difficult (sometimes impossible) to see an object in front of you.

Clean the region covering the TrueDepth camera and sensors (the upper part of the screen where the speaker is), with a display cleaning solution or just with a cloth, and check if you can unlock your device with your face, or do another action where Face ID is required. The region of the screen you need to clean is shown in the screenshot below.

Maybe your device got stuck for a reason, resulting in Face ID being unable to detect your face or unlock your device, or maybe, it does detect it, but just your device won't unlock. The solution, in this case is to restart your device.

To restart your device, follow the steps below:

1. Press and hold the volume (+) up button and the power button at the same time until two sliders appear (one for turning off your device and the other one for SOS);
2. Swipe the power-off slider (the topmost one) to the right.
   
   

Note: Another way to restart your device is in the following way:

1. Press and release the volume (+) up button;
2. Press and release the volume (-) down button;
3. Press and hold the power on/off (or lock/unlock) button and hold it until the screen turns back on and the Apple logo appears.

Maybe the reason why Face ID doesn't work is that it hasn't been activated for unlocking your device or performing other actions.

To check if this is the case, and to activate it, follow the steps below:

1. Go to Settings and tap on Face ID & Passcode;
   

   

2. Enter your passcode (if you had set one);
3. Tap on the toggles next to iPhone (or iPad) Unlock, Apple Pay, iTunes & App store, etc. so that they turn green.
   

   

Inadequate cases and screen protectors may cover the Face ID sensors and the TrueDepth camera, thus making it impossible for Face ID to work. If the issues started after you purchased a case or screen protector, that is a surefire sign that this is the reason.

In this case, replacing the case or screen protector is what you need to do.

You should always update the operating system to the latest version available, so that you improve the device's performance and eliminate bugs in the previous version of the operating system. Usually, the updates are downloaded and applied automatically, but sometimes this is not the case.

To update to your device to the latest version, follow the steps below:

1. Go to Settings and tap on General;
   
   

   

2. Tap on Software Update;
   

   

3. If an update is available, tap on Download and Install; If you have the latest update installed your device will let you know.

Alternatively, you can watch the instructions in the video demo below:

Note: You may also update your device via iTunes, following the steps in the video below:




Note: When you are updating your device's operating system, make sure that it won't run out of battery power, because if it does, you may cause irreversible damage to the device. To prevent this, connect your device to the charger.

Also, make sure to use a stable Wi-Fi connection (and not mobile data), in order to avoid additional costs.

Despite the fact that Face ID continuously studies your face, you may consider adding an alternate appearance (a different one than the primary one), so that Face ID can still recognize you. This method prove effective if you make radical changes to your face periodically (e.g. growing a beard):

To set up an alternate appearance, follow the steps below:

1. Go to Settings and tap on Face ID & Passcode;
2. Enter your passcode (if asked);
3. Tap on Set Up an Alternate Appearance;
4. Follow the on-screen instructions and tap on Done.