What can you do with Face ID on iPhone SE?

What is Face ID?

Face ID is a facial recognition system designed and developed by Apple Inc. for the iPhone and iPad Pro. The system allows biometric authentication for unlocking a device, making payments, and accessing sensitive data, as well as providing detailed facial mapping for augmented reality applications.

If the new iPhone 15/14/13 is your first-ever iPhone, or if you have neither upgraded your iPhone from the 6/7/8 series nor have kept abreast with the happenings in the Apple world, you might wonder what this newfangled thing called Face ID is.

Face ID is an authentication system that came with iPhone X for the first time, and then the iPhone 13, the iPhone 14, and now the iPhone 15. Like Touch ID that uses your fingerprints, Face ID uses your face metrics to authenticate you for everything, the way Touch ID does.

Face ID is not a new and advanced version of Touch ID, but a completely different authentication system that utilizes a different component what Apple calls a TrueDepth camera to scan your face metrics. Face ID is not available on phones with Touch ID (iPhone SE 2022 today) and Touch ID is not available on iPhones that come with Face ID as their authentication mechanism.

Face ID is not just for unlocking your iPhone, but it is also used for authenticating you for Apple Pay, App Store purchases, and other third-party apps that support Face ID. It is also used for autofilling passwords and usernames in Safari and other apps.

How to Remove Face ID on iPhone SE

For all the hardware and software that make for a great experience for nearly all users around the world, Face ID can have its fair share of issues. Sometimes, your face might not get recognized, sometimes it might not work altogether.

Lately, with the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen how Face ID struggles to work for us, and why? Because it cannot scan our faces with masks! So, it makes sense to remove Face ID from our iPhones and rely solely on passcodes. Alternatively, you want to reset your Face ID on your iPhone SE and set it again if you have put on some ‘COVID weight’ owing to working from home.

Most of the time, the best and the simplest thing you can do to resolve your hardware and software issues is to restart the device in question. To restart your iPhone SE, long-press the Side Button until the power slider appears and drag it to shut the device off. Then, use the Side Button to start the phone again.

Sometimes, the issues have a way of persisting, and a restart does not resolve them. the TrueDepth system might have developed a fault and Face ID might stop working. Or you got the dreaded “problem detected with TrueDepth camera” message on your iPhone SE. In that case, you would like to know how to reset and remove Face ID on your iPhone SE to see if that helps, before you are required to go to an Apple Store for service.

Step 1: Go to Settings > Face ID and Passcode.
Step 2: Scroll and tap the option "Reset Face ID" to remove Face ID on your iPhone iPhone SE.

How to Set Up Face ID on Your iPhone SE

Sometimes, you may just want to disable Face ID temporarily or the issue gets solved, and want to activate Face ID again. Setting up a Face ID on your iPhone SE is easy. To set up Face ID, sit in a comfortable spot with adequate lighting and follow these steps:

Step 1: Go to Settings > Face ID and Passcode and enter your passcode. If you have not set up a passcode yet, you will necessarily have to create one now before proceeding forward.
Step 2: Tap Set Up Face ID to start the process.
Step 3: Hold your iPhone SE in the portrait orientation at about an arm‘s length away from your face and then tap Get Started.

Step 4: Adjust to have your face inside the shown circle and then slowly rotate your head in a smooth motion to complete the circle. This step will be done one more time.
Step 5: When done, tap Done.

In case you are getting the following error:

There are a few things you can try to resolve this, you can try to update your iPhone SE to the latest iOS. At this point, you may even try running a beta version to see if that helps. If you are running a beta version, you may downgrade back to the release version to see if that resolves the error. Betas can both make and break things.

If this does not resolve it, you need to take the device to the nearest service center. The TrueDepth camera system has components that might have been damaged or might not be working properly, for whatever reason, and the service personnel is equipped to resolve this issue for you at the earliest.

How to use Face ID on iPhone SE to make purchases in App Store, Book Store, and iTunes Store

Step1: Check if Face ID is enabled for purchases in these stores by going to Settings > Face ID & Passcode and ensuring that iTunes and App Store are toggled On.

Step2: On any of these stores, when you tap on the option to buy some content, a payment confirmation popup will be displayed along with instructions to authenticate yourself using Face ID.

The instructions are simple: press the side button twice to authenticate yourself using your Face ID and make the purchase.
When done, a satisfying ting and a checkmark will confirm the action.

How to use Face ID on iPhone SE to pay with Apple Pay

Step1: If Apple Pay is supported by banking institutions in your country, you can set it up by adding a supported bank‘s credit card, debit card, or prepaid card to the Wallet app on your iPhone SE.

Step2: When a card is added and ready to use, check that Apple Pay is enabled under Settings > Face ID and Passcode.
Step3: For App Store/ Book Store/ iTunes Store purchases, it works as always, you double-press the Side Button to authenticate and use your default card.
Step4: Look at your iPhone SE to authenticate yourself using your Face ID and make the purchase.
Step5: When paying at retail outlets, hold your iPhone SE (top being close to the reader) and wait for the checkmark and Done message.
Step6: To pay using Apple Pay on websites, choose Apple Pay as the payment method, double press the Side Button, look at your iPhone SE, and wait for the Done message and checkmark to finish the process.

What Can You Do with Face ID?

Most of us know that we can unlock iPhone SE with our face via Face ID instead of a thumbprint or passcode. But actually, Face ID does more than just that. Let us learn more cool things you can do with Face ID, which helps you to make a decision if you still want to disable it. Here‘s what you can do on your iPhone SE with Face ID:

Unlock Your iPhone SE

As an authentication mechanism, Face ID enables you to unlock your iPhone SE with a look. How to do that? Here are the steps:

Step1: Pick your iPhone SE up in your hands or tap the screen to wake it up.
Step2: Look at the iPhone.
When the lock symbol changes to the unlocked position, you can swipe up to unlock your iPhone SE using Face ID and get to the Home Screen.Note that Face ID will not work in landscape mode on an iPhone SE.

Making Purchases Using Face ID on Your iPhone SE

Face ID allows you to authenticate yourself to make purchases in the App Store, Book Store, and iTunes Store and use Apple Pay wherever supported.

Lowering Ringer and Alarm Volume Automatically

Face ID also enables what Apple calls Attention Aware features that are conveniences afforded to users who have a Face ID enabled iPhone.

Setting up and using Attention Aware features is easy:

Step 1: Go to Settings > Face ID and passcode.
Step 2: Toggle Require Attention For Face ID On.
Step 3: Toggle Attention Aware Features On.

That’s it. Now, when you get a call and your iPhone SE is ringing loud, looking at your iPhone SE will cause it to lower the volume. When an alarm goes off, you can lower the volume by simply looking at your iPhone. Additionally, your iPhone screen will not dim or switch off for the duration you are looking at it. This means you can now read those books on Kindle without constantly tapping the screen for it to stay awake.

Autofill Passwords and Usernames in Safari and Other Apps

Face ID also allows users to fill passwords in Safari automatically for a faster and more convenient login experience on your iPhone 15/14/13 with Face ID.

Step 1: Go to Settings > Face ID and Passcode and toggle Password Autofill On.

Step 2: Now, when you use Safari to open a website that requires a login, tapping the username field or password field will bring up the keyboard, and on top of that keyboard there will be your credentials for the website if you have saved them in iCloud Passwords. Tap the credentials.

Step 3: Look at your iPhone to authenticate yourself with Face ID and Safari will autofill the credentials for you.

Authenticate Yourself for Third-Party Apps

Face ID is also used for authenticating you for third-party apps that support Face ID. This means you can use Face ID to authenticate yourself for banking apps, password managers, and other apps that support Face ID.

Animojis and Memojis

Up until now, we saw how Face ID enables productivity features and how convenient it is to use it. Now, we come to the fun part - Animojis. Apple launched Face ID in 2017 on the iPhone X with much fanfare and a huge part of that fanfare was Animojis. Over time, Apple brought new capabilities to the iPhone and added Memojis alongside Animojis.

Click here

Animojis are animated emojis. These are made possible with advanced algorithms enabled by the TrueDepth camera in Face ID. Animated emojis or Animojis can mimic your facial expressions and you can use them in your message conversations in apps.

Here‘s how to send Animojis in conversations on your new iPhone SE:

Step 1: Open a message conversation in the Messages app.

Step 2: Tap the Memoji button (a character in a yellow frame) and swipe to select the desired Animoji/ Memoji you want to send.

Step 3: Tap the Record button and you now have 30 seconds to do what you want with your face and the character will reproduce it on screen for you.

Step 4: When done, the Record button changes to Send:

Tap Send to send your first Memoji/ Animoji.

Unlock Locked iPhone SE by Restoring it to Default Settings – iTunes

iPhone users make sure that they connect and sync their devices with iTunes because their data is safe. iPhone users live without the fear of losing their data because it is backed up. Taking more advantage of this, iPhone users can restore their phone to default settings and can even unlock their iPhone without using a passcode.

Let us show you how to unlock iPhone SE without using a passcode;

Start the process by turning off your iPhone SE.
After that, plug in your phone to the computer and open iTunes.
Once the phone is connected with iTunes, click on ‘Summary’ that will appear on the screen’s left side.
After the summary screen is opened, you will see the option of ‘Restore iPhone’; click on that option.
This option will bring you to a new window that will be asking for your confirmation on the decision to restore your device.

As soon as that is done and iTunes has finished the process, your iPhone SE will be restored to default settings.

Reasons for Locked Apple ID

There can be a few reasons why your Apple ID is locked. You forgot the password and now it is locked since you entered the wrong password too many times. A scarier prospect, albeit a real one, is that some malicious actor attempted to login into your Apple ID account but failed. Had they succeeded, you would have gotten a message that ‘your Apple ID is being used on another device’ now.

Apple does a lot to ensure that your Apple ID remains safe. You trust Apple with a lot of your data, including financial data by way of your credit cards associated with Apple ID to make purchases on the App Store and iTunes Store. Therefore, some of the time, Apple preempts issues by proactively locking up your Apple ID or even disabling it. It goes without saying that sometimes it is something so simple as a software error that is believed to have locked up Apple IDs for many users around the world a while ago. It is also entirely possible that it was some malicious actor probing the servers for accounts.

All of these will result in a locked Apple ID that users will have to reset their password to in order to gain access back.

Unlock Disabled iPhone SE Using iCloud Website

unlock your disabled iPhone SE is using the iCloud website to gain access back. This is a fairly easy way and doesn’t require going through complex hoops.

Find My is available both online via the iCloud website and on iOS devices and on Macs. In case the only Apple product you own is the currently disabled iPhone SE, you can use Find My on the iCloud website from any other computer you may have to unlock your disabled iPhone SE.

Step 1: Visit https://icloud.com and log in into the same iCloud account/ Apple ID as the disabled iPhone SE.
Step 2: Go to Find My, select your iPhone SE.

Step 3: Click Erase iPhone and confirm.

This will start the wipe process on your iPhone remotely and your iPhone will be reset to factory settings. You can now proceed to setup your iPhone once again.

Prevent iPhone From Getting Disabled Again

After all this to get access back, you might think let’s go passcode-less and prevent the hassle. Don’t do that - that’s worse and unsafe. Instead, here are tips you can use to make sure you don’t accidentally disable your iPhone SE again.

Tip 1: About Passcodes

1.1 Set a passcode that is easier to remember for you but difficult to think of for thieves and others.
1.2 Never use birthdates, years, vehicle numbers or any such numbers that may be easily tried by others.
1.3 Never use repeating numbers.
1.4 Do not use your ATM PIN as your phone passcode either. Think of some digits or combination that makes sense to you and only you. And then use it.

Tip 2: Use Face ID

Along with Passcode comes the option of Face ID on your iPhone SE, so use that. That will minimize instances for you to enter your passcode, and may make you forget it again, though. So, make sure that the passcode you set does make sense to you and you can remember it always without effort.

Not all of us have the memory of elephants. With Touch ID and Face ID on our iPhones minimizing the use of passcodes, we may forget them. Another factor in forgetting passcodes is being too smart for our own good and trying to set up such a secure passcode that even we are not able to remember it. If we enter incorrect passcode too many times, the iPhone disables itself and we need to restore it to factory settings to unlock it again. There are several ways to do that, depending on the time you are willing to spend on the job and your proficiency level, along with the resources that you have with you right now. For example, if a method requires use of another iOS device and you do not have it, that method is not useful to you right now, pick another. Lastly, when the device is reset, instead of going passcode-less to make sure that you do not forget the passcode again, it is best to set up a passcode that you can somehow remember.

Unlock Disabled iPhone SE Using Find My iPhone App

There are times you have another iOS device in the family or just lying around, you can use that device to unlock your disabled iPhone SE. This method is particularly useful if you’re traveling with family or alone, and only have family members with their own iOS devices or, say, your iPad with you. As always, note that all these methods will wipe your data from your iPhone.

Step 1: Open the Find My app on your other iOS device or Mac.

Step 2: Select your disabled iPhone SE from the devices from the left pane, click/ tap your disabled iPhone SE and click/ tap Erase This Device

The disabled iPhone will be wiped and reset to factory settings. You can then set it up again.

Bypassing Activation Lock using official methods (iPhone SE)

An Activation Lock is not the end of the world, as Apple might have you believe. Nothing in the world is perfect, except for the world itself. As such, there are ways to bypass Activation Lock on an Apple device that you bought used, and the previous owner forgot to unlock or did so intentionally and is now trying to fleece you for more money to unlock it. Or an employee who just left the job surrendered their iPhone SE but forgot to erase the device before submitting and consequently, the device is still associated with their Apple ID, and you need to bypass Activation Lock for that iPhone SE to make it useable again. There are a few ways you can go about it.

Bypassing Activation Lock Using Apple ID

Disabling Activation Lock on iPhone SE is easy if you have the Apple ID credentials that are associated with the iPhone SE.

Step 1: Enter device Recovery Mode and Restore the device to factory settings.
Step 2: When you set up the device again, you will be required to sign in to the Apple ID associated with the device. Do that and you are golden!

Bypassing Activation Lock from iCloud Website

You may also do away with Activation Lock using the Find My iPhone app in iCloud remotely by erasing the device and removing the device from the associated iCloud account.

Step 1: Visit the iCloud website on a computer at https://icloud.com .
Step 2: Sign In and go to Find iPhone.

Step 3: Click All Devices and select the device that was sold to the user.
Step 4: Click Erase iPhone and if the device is still there after the erase is complete, click Remove From Account.

This process requires that the data service be functional on the iPhone in question, otherwise, this will not work. When the process is done, restart the iPhone and set it up with your Apple ID to remove the lock.

Bypassing Activation Lock Using Microsoft Intune

If you are an IT administrator and are using Microsoft services, you may have given employees iPhones. When employees leave or are made to leave, it is possible that the devices they leave behind are still signed in with a password only they know. There is a way Apple provides for Microsoft Intune to disable Activation Lock for corporate devices.

Step 1: Sign in to the admin center on Microsoft Endpoint Manager.
Step 2: Select Devices under Intune.
Step 3: Select All Devices.
Step 4: Locate the device you want to disable the lock for, and under the Hardware section, copy the Activation Lock Bypass Code given under Conditional Access.
Step 5: Under the Overview pane of the device, select Wipe.
Step 6: When the device resets, it prompts for the Apple ID and password. Leave the ID blank and enter the bypass code as a password.

The device will be reset, and employees can set it up again with a new Apple ID.

TechiDaily