How To Make Face ID On iPhone X To Try Again The Right Way When It Doesn’t Recognize You On First Try

Apple’s launch of the iPhone X brought with it the first look at Face ID for most of us, and now that people have been able to test the new authentication system out for a couple of weeks, the general consensus seems to be that it is a worthy replacement for Touch ID.

There were plenty of sceptics, but most people have been won over and it appears the future is bright for the new system. That, however, does not mean that it is perfect.

With Face ID enabled on an iPhone X, one particular feature is causing some people problems. That is the way iOS hides incoming notifications unless Face ID recognizes that you are the iPhone’s owner and that you are giving it your full attention. If Face ID is satisfied, your notifications are made available and away you go. If not, you are left with entering your passcode just to see that reply to your last tweet. Not ideal, at all.

With something like Touch ID, a failed authentication just meant removing and repositioning your finger or thumb, but with Face ID there is no obvious way to force the iPhone X to attempt to re-authenticate without swiping the Home bar all the way up, triggering an unlock. Thankfully, while not obvious, there is a way to do it.

As Twitter user Alex Anderson pointed out, forcing a Face ID check is a simple case of grabbing the ‘home indicator’ bar at the bottom, moving it slightly upwards and then pushing it back to the bottom of the phone again. At this point Face ID will trigger, forcing another attempt at authentication. By that point you will be giving your iPhone the attention Face ID required, hopefully triggering a successful check and displaying your notifications as you require.

It may take some getting used to, but if you want to use Face ID and need to keep your notifications private, this is one little gesture you may find yourself using a good few times each day.

Also check: You Can Help iPhone X Face ID Learn From Its Mistakes, Here’s How.

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