Fixed! Your Passcode Is Required to Enable Face ID

On almost a daily basis, at some random time during the day, for apparently no reason whatsoever, I try to unlock my iPhone 13 and I get a message saying I must enter the passcode in order enable Face ID.

In order to get maximum protection for their iPhones, users can set up complex passcodes or use other highly secure solutions for unlocking iPhone lock screen, such as Face ID. This feature is usually very practical and easy to activate, though, occasionally your iPhone keeps asking for passcode to enable Face ID may occur.

This message could appear even if you didn’t make any wrong attempts or operations, and it would remain on the screen until you enter the passcode. In the following sections, we’ll discuss the possible reasons why the iPhone requires a passcode to enable Face ID, and what are the best solutions to get rid of this problem.

Why Is My Passcode Required to Enable Face ID?

Recently, some iPhone users receive a notification saying ‘your passcode is required to enable Face ID’. It always occurs when iPhone users restart their devices. Or when you use the Find my iPhone option to unlock the screen, the device operating system may require a passcode to enable Face ID. Besides, there are several other possible reasons for the passcode required to enable Face ID. And we list the most common ones.

• Five consecutive unsuccessful attempts were made to unlock the iPhone by using Face ID.
• You restarted a new iPhone for the first time after setting it up.
• You activated SOS emergency from your phone.
• You just turned on the iPhone after 48 hours of inactivity.
• The passcode wasn’t used for more than six days.
• Find my iPhone feature was used from another device to bypass the screen lock and change the code on the phone you are currently using.
• iPhone fails in the process of recognizing your face.
• Malicious code is present on the device.
• There is mechanical damage or dirt on the device or camera.

Having learned why my iPhone keeps asking for my passcode to enable Face ID, you will figure out 5 proven solutions to resolve the issue – your passcode is required to enable Face ID.

Way 1. Bypass iPhone Passcode in Simple Clicks

If you fail to enter the right iPhone screen passcode, chances are that you may be stuck on the screen of ‘your passcode is required to enable Face ID‘ and have nothing to do with your iDevice. Normally, you have several attempts to try until you get the right passcode to unlock your iPhone. However, we don’t encourage you to try the wrong passcode many times. If you enter the wrong screen passcode more than 10 times, you will see a pop-up message showing ‘iPhone is disabled connect to iTunes‘.

For these reasons, if your password is required to enable Face ID and you fail to enter the right passcode, you should try a professional iPhone unlocker – AnyUnlock to bypass the iPhone passcode to access your iPhone and use your Face ID again.

Free install AnyUnlock and learn how to bypass your passcode is required to enable Face ID.

Step 1. Open AnyUnlock on your computer > Connect your locked iPhone to the computer via a USB cable > Choose the Unlock Screen Passcode on the home screen.

Step 2. Click the Start Now button to initiate the unlocking process.

Step 3. Check the iDevice information on the screen and tap on Download to get the iOS firmware used for bypassing iPhone passcode.

Step 4. When the firmware download completes, you should tap on the Unlock Now button to initiate the unlocking process.

Step 5. Wait for a few minutes and you’ll see the Screen passcode removed successfully page on the screen.

Way 2. Check Your Face ID Settings

If you can access your iPhone, you can also further check your Face ID settings, to see whether the ‘your passcode is required to enable Face ID‘ issue is a result of Face ID settings. This is also workable if your Face ID is not working on other occasions. If you find there is something wrong with Face ID settings, you can also reset it and give it another shot.

Here, we’ll show you how to check your Face ID settings as well as resetting Face ID.

1. Open the Settings menu on iPhone home screen.

2. Choose Face ID & Passcode.

3. Check whether the Face ID is turned on or set up a new Face ID.

Way 3. Check If There Is An Update on iPhone

Apple provides regular updates for iOS with the objective of fixing any errors and bugs from the previous version and introducing new features. If your iPhone isn’t updated with the latest version, it could behave in unpredictable ways. One of the system errors that could materialize in this scenario is the required passcode for Face ID.

To eliminate this possibility, check if a new iOS version might be available for your device by following the steps below:

1. After opening the Settings menu, go to General and click on the Software Update button.
2. The operating system will check if there is a new iOS update available for your device.
3. If the search results show that an updated version is indeed available, download and install it.

Way 4. Add An Alternate Appearance

The characteristics of your face are changing almost daily. Sometimes those changes are visible to you, but sometimes even you might not notice them. The device can fail to recognize you and deny unlocking the screen with Face ID.

Also, if you are wearing too much makeup, or have grown a beard since you last set up your Face ID, the camera will catch every little difference and might not let you access your iPhone. Therefore, it’s a good idea to set up an Alternate Appearance if your face looks significantly different from your original photo.

1. Go to Settings and then select Face ID item and then click on Passcode. If the system asks you to provide a valid passcode, enter it and go on with the procedure.
2. Click on the Set Up an Alternate Appearance option.
3.  Take care that you position your face directly in front of the camera, right into the center of the iPhone screen. Slowly move the device to complete the face scan.
4. Press the Continue button.
5. The system will require confirmation, so move your head slowly in front of the camera once more.
6. Click Done to complete the process of saving a new appearance.

Way 5. Clean True Depth Camera

As we already mentioned above, one of the typical reasons why a passcode is required to enable Face ID is a dirty front camera. iPhone’s front camera or True Depth camera is often covered with a layer of dust, which can prevent it from properly recognizing your face. Also, you need to take care that your hand or finger doesn’t cover your camera and block your face.

The Bottom Line

Although this iPhone passcode issue is common among iPhone users, it’s certainly confusing to anyone who finds themselves in such a situation. We hope that this post clarifies why is passcode required to enable Face ID when you want to unlock the screen with your Face ID. If you’re stuck on the iPhone lock screen saying ‘your passcode is required to enable Face ID‘ and fail to access your iDevice, you’re highly recommended to take AnyUnlock a try. If you have other questions or solutions, tell us in the comments.