Is Apple Addressing iPhone X's Face ID Problems?
Apple Inc. seemed to have admitted that there were iPhone X units that have Face ID issues based on a leaked service policy.
According to an internal document that was obtained by MacRumors mentioned that Apple Stores and Apple Authorized Service Providers are now instructed to allow iPhone X owners to have their units replaced if they encounter Face ID issues instead of repairing the device's display.
"In order to provide the best customer experience, if a customer reports that their iPhone X is having Face ID issues, you may be able to resolve the issue with a rear camera repair. Run AST 2 on the customer's device to check the camera. If the diagnostics find issue with the camera, perform the repair to see if the issue is resolved. If the issue is not resolved, perform a whole unit replacement instead of a same-unit display repair," the full document reads.
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This means that Apple Stores and Apple Authorized Providers must run some diagnostics first on the rear camera of the iPhone X unit then repair the system if needed to find out if it can finally resolve the problem. If the trouble persisted, the authorized providers are instructed to replace the whole unit.
Since the Face ID feature is a 3D face scanner in the flagship device of Apple Inc., it utilizes a lot of several components to analyze the user's face and confirm his or her identity. Because of this, the Face ID feature will be very expensive to fix. This could be the reason why the tech giant opted to have the device replaced instead of subjecting it to a costly repair.
Problems about the front-facing camera of the high-end smartphone from the Cupertino-based tech giant had been reported shortly after its launch in October 2017.
A user reported the issue that he encountered with his iPhone X unit on Reddit, saying that the device's rear camera and Face ID stopped working all of a sudden.
The user said that the panorama, slow-mo, and time-lapse functions are still working, but all the others were not. He also said that when he tried to use the Face ID, he would read a message saying "Face ID is not available, try again later."
The Redditor also mentioned that his iPhone X device had been replaced by an Apple Store where the employee at the Genius Bar explained to him that the telephoto camera lens and the True Depth camera are linked to each other.
"I was talking to the Genius Bar guy and he said that the cameras are connected. The lenses differ on what they do. The wide angle did the ones that worked and is connected to the front facing camera. The telephoto is connected to the true depth and was not working," the Redditor also said.
However, Apple has yet to confirm if they are really experiencing issues with iPhone X's Face ID. The tech giant is also mum about the validity of the internal memo that is circulating about their solution to the device's rumored problem.
