How to Reset Face ID and Set It Up Again (Full Guide)

Face ID usually gets better over time as it learns your face, but sometimes the opposite happens. Maybe your appearance changed, maybe the first enrolment was rushed in bad light, or maybe recognition has simply grown unreliable after a big iOS update.

Resetting Face ID deletes the stored face data and lets you start fresh. It is quick, completely safe, and does not touch your passcode, your apps or anything else on the phone.

This guide covers the reset itself, how to do the new enrolment properly so it works first time almost every time, and the extra appearance option that helps if you wear glasses or a mask.

Quick Answer

To reset Face ID, go to Settings, Face ID and Passcode, enter your passcode, and tap Reset Face ID. Then tap Set Up Face ID, hold the iPhone 25 to 50 centimetres from your face in good light, and move your head slowly in a circle twice as shown on screen. The old face data is deleted permanently; your passcode and all other data stay exactly as they were.

Before You Reset: A Quick Check

A reset is easy, but it is worth spending thirty seconds confirming a reset is what you actually need, because re-enrolling will not fix every problem.

• If Face ID shows an error message saying it is not available, a reset rarely helps; that points to a hardware or system problem.
• If recognition is just slow or patchy, a reset is the perfect fix.
• If only one app rejects Face ID, check that app’s own settings instead.
• Make sure you know your passcode. You will need it to open the Face ID settings.

Assuming recognition quality is the issue, go ahead with the reset below.

Step by Step: Reset and Re-Enrol Face ID

The whole process takes about two minutes. Find bright, even lighting first: daylight near a window is ideal, and harsh overhead light is the worst choice.

1. Open Settings and tap Face ID and Passcode.
2. Enter your passcode when asked.
3. Tap Reset Face ID. The stored face is deleted immediately.
4. Tap Set Up Face ID to begin a fresh enrolment.
5. Position your face in the frame and move your head slowly in a full circle, following the on-screen guide.
6. Complete the second scan the same way, then tap Done.

Test the new enrolment straight away by locking the phone and picking it up naturally. Do not hold it at a special angle; test the way you really use it.

Add an Alternate Appearance

Apple lets you enrol a second look for the same person. This is ideal if your everyday appearance changes a lot between, say, glasses on and glasses off, or with and without a head covering.

1. Go to Settings, Face ID and Passcode.
2. Tap Set Up an Alternate Appearance.
3. Follow the same two-circle scanning process wearing the alternative look.
4. Test unlocking with both appearances.

An alternate appearance is not for adding a second person, though families sometimes use it that way. Remember that anyone enrolled can unlock everything, including banking apps that use Face ID.

Set Up Face ID With a Mask

Recent iPhone models can recognise you while you wear a face mask by focusing on the area around your eyes. If you mask often on public transport or at work, set this up too.

1. In Settings, Face ID and Passcode, turn on Face ID with a Mask if your model offers it.
2. Follow the short scan. Glasses wearers may be asked to add their glasses separately.
3. If you wear several very different pairs of glasses, add each pair as prompted.

Mask mode is slightly less secure than full-face recognition, because it uses fewer facial features. The phone may still ask for the passcode more often, which is expected behaviour.

After the Reset: Settings Worth Checking

While you are in the Face ID menu, confirm the feature is enabled everywhere you want it. Resets sometimes leave people wondering why one service still asks for a passcode.

• Turn on iPhone Unlock, Apple Pay and iTunes and App Store if you use them.
• Review the app list under Other Apps and enable Face ID for your banking and password apps.
• Consider Stolen Device Protection under the same menu, which uses Face ID for extra-sensitive changes.
• If you also use Face ID to open individual apps, our guide on using Face ID to unlock apps explains per-app setup.

Troubleshooting the Enrolment Itself

Occasionally the reset is easy but the new enrolment misbehaves: the circle will not complete, the camera says to move the phone lower or higher endlessly, or the scan finishes but recognition is poor within a day. Each symptom has a simple cause worth checking before you conclude anything is broken.

If the circle will not complete, the camera may not be seeing your whole face: raise or lower the phone to the distance the animation suggests, remove a hat brim that shadows your forehead, and wipe the camera area, because a single fingerprint smear can stall the depth mapping. If the scan completes but recognition is poor, you probably enrolled in light that does not match your daily life, for example enroling under a warm lamp when you mostly unlock at a bright desk. Re-enrol in your most typical environment.

One more subtlety: enrol bare-faced if possible, even if you usually wear glasses. Then add the glasses look as the alternate appearance. Enroling the most ‘complete’ version of your face as the primary gives the system the richest model, and the alternate slot handles the variation, instead of the other way around.

Common Mistakes and Helpful Tips

• Do not rush the head circle. Slow, complete movements create a far better face map than two quick nods.
• Avoid enroling in a car or under flickering lights. Uneven light at enrolment causes failures later.
• If recognition still fails after a careful reset, clean the TrueDepth camera and remove the screen protector before assuming the worst.
• Enrol with your most common look as the main face, and save the alternate slot for the less common one.

Apple documents the enrolment process in its support library too. The official Apple guide to setting up Face ID shows the current screens for each iPhone model.

Conclusion

Resetting Face ID is a two-minute job that fixes most recognition problems: delete the old face in Settings, Face ID and Passcode, then re-enrol slowly in bright, even light. Add an alternate appearance if your look changes often, and turn on the toggles for every service you use. If a careful new enrolment still fails everywhere, the problem is likely the camera hardware rather than the stored face, and a repair is the next step.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does resetting Face ID delete anything else on my iPhone?

No. A reset deletes only the mathematical face data used for recognition. Your passcode, photos, messages, apps and all settings remain unchanged, and you can keep using the passcode to unlock while Face ID is not set up.

How often should I reset Face ID?

There is no schedule. Reset only when recognition becomes unreliable or your appearance changes significantly, such as growing or removing a beard. Face ID normally improves with use, because every successful passcode entry after a near-match refines its model of your face.

Can I have two different people on Face ID?

The alternate appearance is designed for one person’s second look, but technically a second person can be enrolled there. Be careful: that person gains full access to the phone and every app protected by Face ID, including payment and banking apps.

Why does Face ID ask for my passcode every morning?

That is a security rule, not a fault. iOS requires the passcode after a restart, after 48 hours without unlocking, and in several other situations. Face ID returns to normal use straight after the passcode is entered.

The Reset Face ID button is missing or greyed out. What is wrong?

Your iPhone model may not have Face ID at all (older models use Touch ID), or a work or school management profile may restrict changes. If Face ID worked before and the menu has vanished after damage or repair, contact Apple Support, as the TrueDepth system may have failed.