The arrival of Apple’s latest iPhone series finds itself enhanced with cutting edge technology. Apple has introduced the Face ID feature to enable users to unlock their phones without pressing any buttons. However, some users may want to skip the facial recognition technology due to reasons like personal security, or being locked out because of a faulty Face ID.
There have been many questions from consumers about the usability of the device without registering for Face ID. The good news is that registering for this feature is not mandatory and device owners can continue to use their phone without scanning their faces in.
Below are some tips on how to unlock your iPhone X series without ever using Face ID.
Using your Passcode
When setting up your iPhone for the first time, it requests that you create a passcode. A passcode is a combination of numbers to unlock your phone without the use of facial recognition.
There are different ways to bring up the code request screen described as below:
Swiping Up
This is by far the simplest way. Pressing the home button, tapping the screen, or simply raising the device will wake the phone up.
Previous versions of iOS have had users swipe right, but the new X series devices have changed back to its previous method of swiping up. This will take you to the screen that requests your passcode to unlock.
Canceling A Switch Off
Attempting to switch off and canceling it will bring you to the passcode screen. Pressing either the volume buttons or a side button will take you to the screen that gives you the option of switching off, calling SOS, and canceling.
Tap the cancel button and it will bring you to the passcode screen.
Emergency SOS
By pressing the side button five times, the device will attempt to make an emergency SOS call. When you have initiated this emergency function, you will see a countdown to start the call. Just tap the cancel button at the bottom, and then tap stop calling to cancel the call.
This will take you back to the passcode screen to unlock your phone. This should only be used as your final choice as this involves the emergency services.
Unlocking Without Passcode
There will be instances where you forget your passcode. When users enter the incorrect codes multiple times, it will cause the phone to be locked. There are ways of getting back into your iPhone when you have been locked out.
The method of unlocking your iPhone is still exactly the same as previous models. Apple has not changed the way of recovering your phone back to before you forgot your passcode.
Below are ways of unlocking your phone:
iCloud
One of the two official ways of unlocking your phone is through iCloud. iCloud offers a whole host of features that users find very handy such as Find My Phone, as well as managing your device remotely. A separate device is required to unlock your phone remotely, such as a laptop or a tablet.
Connect to the iCloud website on iCloud.com and enter your Apple ID and Password to access your Apple account.
Click on the Find My Phone section and choose the device that has been blocked. A small pop up will appear giving you the option to erase the iPhone. Once you have completed this process, you should be able to use the phone again.
Only users who have signed up, or used the Find My Phone feature can use this method. However, if you haven’t, there are other ways.
iTunes
Similar to the iCloud method, using iTunes is another official way of unlocking your iPhone. By simply connecting your phone to a computer using a data cable and enabling recovery mode, iTunes can reset it automatically.
To switch to recovery mode, you will need to follow the instructions below.
1 – Switch the phone off
2 – Press the volume up key, followed by the volume down key.
3 – Hold the side key until ‘Connect To iTunes’ appears on the screen
4 – Your computer will recognize that the phone has been put into recovery mode. It will display an option on the screen. Press the Restore button, and then the Restore and Update option to install a new software on the phone.
Ensure that you are using the most up-to-date iTunes software for this to work correctly. Head over to Apple’s website and you are able to check whether you have the latest update.
Conclusion
We hope this guide answers your question of whether you need to register for Face ID to unlock your phone. While the Face ID feature appears to be a great addition to mobile devices, there have been concerns about facial recognition systems due to its potential security breaches, and the likelihood of the feature failing.
By using your passcode, you can access your iPhone with ease. And when you do forget your passcode, there are easy ways of restoring your device.
Feel free to read our guides for unlocking other models of iPhones here:
Unlocked iPhone 7 Method: https://whytheluckystiff.net/iphone-7-unlock/
Unlocked iPhone 6 Method: https://whytheluckystiff.net/how-to-unlock-iphone-6/
Unlocked iPhone 8 Method: https://whytheluckystiff.net/iphone-8-unlock/
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