Face ID cannot be activated on this iPhone: what to do?

To be able to use Face ID, your face must not be covered. Take off your glasses or sunglasses and, if necessary, put your mouth and nose protection aside. As a general rule, anything on your face can interfere with standard Face ID activation.

Make sure you have enough light

Make sure you are in a bright room. The iPhone camera cannot see you (well enough) in dark rooms. To activate Face ID, you should either turn on the lights or go outside.

• To enable Face ID, you must hold your iPhone in portrait mode, not landscape mode.
• The distance to the camera is important: an arm’s length is optimal.
• Your entire face must be clearly visible.

• If you use a protective film or case, it could have slipped and cover the camera sensor.
• Dust and dirt are also a disruptive factor for the camera. Swipe the iPhone screen thoroughly once.
• The camera may be damaged. Check whether you can take selfies or whether errors occur when doing so.

Have you tried everything but still get the message “Face ID can’t be activated on this iPhone”? Try turning Face ID on and off in Settings. How to proceed:

1. In Settings, open Face ID & Passcode.
2. Enter your device code when prompted.
3. Under “Use Face ID for” turn off “Unlock iPhone”, “iTunes & App Store”, “Apple Pay” and “Autofill Password”.
4. Wait a few minutes and enable the functions again.
5. Try again to see if you can use Face ID.

full screen

With the iPhone X, Apple introduced Face ID. Since iOS 15, however, the problems with activation have increased.

Image: © YouTube/ Byte Review 2018

You can reset the function in the Face ID settings. Sometimes this helps to solve the problem.

1. In Settings, open Face ID & Passcode.
2. Enter your code when prompted.
3. Tap on “Reset Face ID” and on “Configure Face ID”.

In addition to a normal restart, a forced restart of your iPhone can also help with various problems. Proceed as follows:

1. Press and immediately release the volume up button on the left side of the iPhone.
2. Press and immediately release the volume down button.
3. Press and hold the side button on the right side of the iPhone.
4. Don’t release the side button until the Apple logo appears on the screen.

Still having troubles with Face ID activation? Then you should reset the network settings. Danger: Saved WLAN passwords and Bluetooth devices are lost in the process. You then have to set up the connections again.

How to proceed:

1. In Settings, tap General.
2. Select “Transfer/Reset iPhone”.
3. Tap on “Reset”.
4. Select “Network Settings”.
5. Enter your code when prompted.
6. Confirm with “Reset”.

1. In Settings, tap General.
2. Select “Transfer/Reset iPhone”.
3. Tap “Erase All Content & Settings” and “Continue”.
4. Enter your code when prompted.
5. Enter your Apple ID password and select “Erase Everything”.