Check Your Surrounding Conditions

There are two major things that can affect your iPhone’s ability to immediately recognize your face: lighting and people behind you.

For Lighting:

1. Make sure the sun is not directly behind you when trying to use Face ID. The sun’s brightness can throw off your iPhone’s sensors and cameras.
2. Make sure you’re in a well-lit area. Your iPhone may struggle to recognize your face if it’s too dark.
3. For consistent results, use Face ID in area that’s well-lit by natural light.

For Other People:

1. Make sure there are no people standing behind you when using Face ID.
2. If you’re in a busy area like a city, try to find a private place to use Face ID. People constantly walking behind you may throw off your iPhone’s camera and sensors.

Why this works:

Face ID may not work on your iPhone if it is too bright or too dark behind you. Face ID may also fail if there are other people in view of the cameras and sensors on the front of your iPhone.

Pro tip:

• It’s okay to show off this feature to your friends, just make sure they aren’t standing right next to you!
• The flash on the front camera of your iPhone may make it easier to use Face ID in a dark area.