Apple reveals why Face ID failed during iPhone X demo

Apple suffered an embarrassing glitch when its Face ID scanner failed to work at the launch of the new iPhone X this week.

During a live demonstration, Craig Federighi, the company’s software chief, was unable to unlock the iPhone X using the new security feature. Instead, he was prompted to input a six-digit passcode.

He then restarted the device and successfully entered it using Face ID, although BGR says the issue caused some to believe that the security feature “might be at fault” .

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

But an unnamed source from the tech giant told Yahoo Finance that “people were handling the device for stage demo ahead of time” and they “didn’t realise Face ID was trying to authenticate their face”.

“After failing a number of times, because they weren’t Craig, the iPhone did what it was designed to do, which was to require his passcode”, the source said.

The company has since confirmed that the quotes were from an Apple representative, BBC News reports.

It is believed that Federighi’s stage make-up may have caused “interference” with the scanner, the website says, as he was seen to wipe his face before making his second attempt.

“The news will reassure those concerned that Face ID may not recognise their unique visage,” says The Guardian. But the newspaper argues that it could mean users will face the same issues after the £999 smartphone goes on sale, on 3 November.

Nevertheless, Apple Insider says a similar procedure is used on the company’s current Touch ID security system. This gives users five attempts to unlock their phone with their finger before asking them for an access code.