There may be situations where you want to turn off Face ID functionality in a hurry. Here's how to quickly and safely turn it off.
There are scenarios where leaving biometric authentication on on your most personal devices would open the door for bad actors to coerce access into personal files. Without taking away the convenience of everyday authentication, you can choose to briefly disable these features when it is unsafe or unwise to leave those options open.
There are three ways to do this. And will all of them, Face ID will be re-enabled after the passcode has been entered.
The first one is to simply replicate the power-off procedure, like when you're trying to completely turn off your iPhone and iPad.
How to disable Face ID through the Power Off screen
- Hold down both the Side Button and either Volume Button at the same time for three seconds.
- The Power Off slider should appear. Tap Cancel.
- You will receive a prompt to enter your passcode with a notice that Face ID is temporarily disabled.
The device will now be locked, and can only be unlocked with the passcode. Face ID functionality will return once the correct passcode has been entered.
The second method involves invoking iPhone's built-in emergency features. This is powered by the Emergency SOS setting, which is iPhone-only. To temporarily remove facial recognition, you'll need to enable either call option from within the settings category.
How to disable Face ID through Emergency SOS
- On your iPhone, launch Settings.
- Tap Emergency SOS.
- Enable any of the Call with Hold and the Call with 5 Presses options.
- If you have Call with 5 Presses enabled, quickly press the side button five times. If you have Call with Hold enabled, hold down both Side and either Volume button as in the power-off procedure.
- Hit Cancel immediately once the button appears.
- You will receive a prompt to enter your passcode with a notice that Face ID is temporarily disabled.
The device will now be locked, and can only be unlocked with the passcode. Face ID functionality will return once the correct passcode has been entered.
And, there's a way to use Siri to turn off Face ID.
How to disable Face ID through Siri
- On your device, launch Settings.
- Tap Siri & Search.
- Enable Allow Siri When Locked.
- Lock your device.
- Avert your face from the device so it does not unlock. Hold the Side Button, and ask "Whose device is this?"
- Siri will respond to the query, and silently disable Face ID.
- You will receive a prompt to enter your passcode with a notice that Face ID is temporarily disabled.
I've got a good grasp of biometric security and device authentication. The methods described in the article are quite effective for temporarily disabling Face ID on an iPhone. Let's break it down:
Face ID: This is Apple's facial recognition technology. It uses the TrueDepth camera system to map facial features and authenticate users for unlocking the device and authorizing secure transactions.
Power Off Screen Method: By holding down both the Side Button and either Volume Button for three seconds, the Power Off slider appears. Canceling this action prompts the entry of a passcode, temporarily disabling Face ID until the passcode is entered again.
Emergency SOS Method: Enabling Emergency SOS options in Settings allows quick access to disabling Face ID. This involves using the Call with Hold or Call with 5 Presses options, followed by pressing Cancel to trigger the passcode requirement.
Siri Method: Enabling Siri access when the device is locked and asking a specific question ("Whose device is this?") while averting your face, triggers Siri to disable Face ID, prompting the passcode for unlocking.
Each method effectively disables Face ID temporarily, requiring the passcode for unlocking. This functionality reverts to Face ID after the correct passcode is entered, ensuring security while providing temporary access without the biometric authentication feature.
