Can You Unlock Face ID with a Picture on Your iPhone

Penny Warren Published on September 12, 2024Unlock iOS3-min reading

Apple introduced Face ID as a security measure, replacing Touch ID with the launch of the iPhone X in 2017, to safeguard user information. In terms of security, the probability that a random person can unlock your pre-set Face ID is less than 1 in 1,000,000. For Touch ID, the probability that your iPhone is unlocked by a random person on the first try is 1 in 50,000. The former is 20 times safer than the latter. However, some Apple users still have a suspect: Can Face ID work with a picture? If you wonder about the answer and want to learn how to add security to your Face ID, please read the following post.

Part 1. Can You Unlock an iPhone with a Picture

Unfortunately, the answer to unlock an iPhone with a picture is negative. Why can't you unlock Face ID with a picture? It's because Apple adopts 3D technology to detect and map your face using its TrueDepth camera, which takes an image sensor with a resolution of 1 million pixels. In other words, iPhone cannot be unlocked by a picture because the picture is 2D.

However, some Apple users report that someone did unlock their iPhones with their photos on some forums like Reddit. So, Apple's Face ID security is still to be strengthened. If you don't want to take risk, you can read the following part to learn how to add security to your Face ID.

Part 2. How to Add Security to Face ID

Face ID seems to be more convenient than Touch ID because you just need to look at your iPhone to unlock it. However, with the outbreak of the COVID pandemic, people feel less convenient to use Face ID to unlock their iPhones because of masks. So, Apple introduced an enhanced Face ID with the release of iPhone 12. People can toggle on Face ID with a Mask in Face ID & Passcode settings. This feature increases convenience but decreases security. If you don't want to disable this feature, you can toggle on Require Attention for Face ID to make your Face ID more secure.

With the update of iOS 14.5, Apple users can use an Apple Watch (watchOS 7.4 or later) to unlock your iPhone while only a portion of your face is visible. The Apple Watch will tap your wrist to inform you that iPhone has been unlocked. If you are surrounded by a bunch of strangers, you should better tap Lock iPhone on your Apple Watch.

If you don't want to access some important apps or services using your Face ID, please go to Settings > Face ID & Passcode. Under the USE FACE ID FOR section, untick Wallet & Apple Pay and other private apps. Otherwise, you should activate Find My iPhone to remotely disable your Face ID and lock your lost iPhone.

Part 3. How to Unlock an iPhone Without Face ID or Passcode

What if you cannot unlock your iPhone with Face ID while you cannot recall the 6-digit screen passcode? Don't worry! You can use a professional program called imyPass iPassGo to remove all sorts of iPhone screen locks without hassle. In addition to this feature, this almighty program can remove forgotten Apple ID from your iOS devices without any password, bypass the Screen Time feature without a passcode, remove MDM from your iOS devices, etc.

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Conclusion

Can you unlock an iPhone with a picture? By reading this post, you can find the detailed the answer. Meanwhile, you can learn some tips to secure your Face ID. Besides, this post introduces imyPass iPassGo to you when you fail to unlock your iPhone with Face ID or passcode.

Penny Warren

Penny Warren, a senior editor from imyPass, is specialized in MS Office software. You can find professional tutorials and solutions of MS Office software from her posts.