With the nice weather we brave the bright sun with sunglasses, but that can cause problems for iPhone X, XS and XR users with Face ID. This way you ensure that the facial scanner continues to work with every pair of glasses.
Why some sunglasses don’t work with Face ID
Although Apple says that Face ID is made to work with sunglasses, specific glasses appear to block the scanner. This has everything to do with the infrared light that the iPhone X, XS and XR uses to recognize a face. If you have glasses with mirrored lenses that also block infrared, chances are that your iPhone will not be able to see your eyes and therefore will not unlock.
Remarkably, this does not apply to all sunglasses, which have everything to do with infrared. If you have glasses with mirrored lenses that also specifically block the infrared light that Apple uses, the iPhone will not see your eyes and the device will not be unlocked. However, if you have glasses with dark glasses that do not reflect extremely, chances are that your iPhone will recognize you.
This way you ensure that Face ID also works with sunglasses
You can of course take off your sunglasses every time you grab your iPhone, but it is a lot smarter to adjust the setting below. This ensures that Face ID works again regardless of your sunglasses.
- On the Settings app on your iPhone;
- Tap on ‘Face ID and passcode’;
- Enter your access code;
- Turn off the switch behind ‘Attention required for Face ID’;
- Press ‘Ok’ to accept the notification.
This ensures that you no longer have to look at the screen to unlock your iPhone. As a result, the scanner no longer looks at your eyes, so that the sunglasses no longer form an obstacle. The disadvantage of this is that your iPhone is less secure as a result. Face ID still works, but this theoretically allows someone to quickly hold the iPhone in front of your face to unlock it, even if you have your eyes closed, for example.
Always turn the setting on again when you are back home or take off your sunglasses. Don’t want to take the above risk? Then there is unfortunately nothing else to do than buy another pair of sunglasses that allow the infrared light from your iPhone to pass through.
Read more about Face ID
- ‘iOS 15 gets new Control Panel and unlocking with Face ID and Touch ID’ (8-4)
- ‘You can soon lock tabs in Google Chrome with Face ID and Touch ID’ (12-2)
- ‘iMac will have a new design in 2021, but Face ID will follow later’ (25-1)
- News summary week 31: iPhone 12 delayed and Apple before Congress (8/1/2020)
- Securing Facebook messages with your fingerprint or facial scan: that’s how it works (7/23/2020)