Does Face ID Work With Eyes Closed

What is Face ID

If you use an iPhone or iPad Pro, you’re probably familiar with the Face ID unlocking system. If you’re new to iOS or phone security in general, you might want to learn about keeping your devices secure and how to check if your iPhone is unlocked.

Face ID is Apple’s facial recognition feature, available on certain models of iPhone and iPad. It lets you unlock your phone quickly without the need for a passcode. It uses your device’s TrueDepth camera to make sure you’re the same person, so it’s incredibly secure—even more so than a password that can be guessed.

Like fingerprint scanning, Face ID is a type of biometric security, using your unique features to access your device. You might be familiar with biometric authentication from using Touch ID on your Mac, a fingerprint sensor on a Samsung or other Android phone, or even voice recognition software.

Face ID can be used for:

• Unlocking your iPhone or iPad
• Allowing purchases with Apple Pay
• Authenticating purchases in the App Store, iTunes Store, or Book Store
• Signing into apps
• Auto-filling usernames and passwords in web browsers

But the most common use is generally to unlock your device.

If you live with other people or leave your phone or iPad unattended around others, you might be worried about them trying to unlock it. Maybe your partner or family members want to read your messages, or your classmates are trying to prank you.

You can deter them by setting up a passcode and having Face ID—or other biometric authentication systems, depending on your device model. However, sometimes people can guess your passcode or unlock Face ID with your eyes closed and gain access to your device. Clario Anti Spy’s Unlock Catcher can let you know when this happens. The app secretly takes a photo every time someone unlocks your phone, so you can check for unauthorized access.

How to check who’s unlocking your phone:

1. Download Clario Anti Spy and set up a subscription.
2. Enable the Unlock catcher, and then lock your phone.
3. When you return to your phone, check the Photos to see if anyone else has accessed it.

How does Face ID work

Face ID works by using your device’s TrueDepth camera to make sure you’re an authorized user. When you first enable Face ID, it creates a 3D map of your face, made up of thousands of invisible dots, as well as an infrared image. When you attempt to unlock your device, Face ID creates another 3D facial map and analyzes it to identify you.

Setting up Face ID will require you to move your head around a bit so that the 3D facial map can be completed.

Its detection systems can account for changes like different hairstyles, makeup, and clothing.

But can you use Face ID with your eyes closed—or can someone hold it up in front of you while you’re sleeping to unlock your phone? By default, Face ID has Require Attention for Face ID enabled. This means that you need to look at your device to unlock it. But you can remove this restriction in the Face ID settings.

Can you unlock an iPhone with a picture? No, this doesn’t work. Because Face ID builds a 3D map of your face, a 2D image can’t activate it, even if it’s a photo of your face. Even deepfake pictures and videos won’t be recognized as you.

There is one big security risk for Face ID, though.

If you’re an identical twin or have a very similar-looking family member, they may be able to use your Face ID to unlock your device. If this applies to you, we’d recommend using a passcode instead.

Because of this possibility, sometimes, your device will still ask you to enter your passcode. This might happen if:

• You’ve just restarted your phone or iPad
• You haven’t unlocked your device for more than 48 hours
• You haven’t entered your passcode for more than six and a half days
• There have been several failed Face ID attempts
• You’re trying to install a software update
• You’re trying to erase the iPhone or iPad

You can also bypass Face ID to use a passcode if facial recognition isn’t working—perhaps because you’ve changed your appearance, your face is blocked, or your camera is covered.

Can you unlock Face ID with eyes closed

With the default settings enabled, you can’t use Face ID with eyes closed. When you set up Face ID, the default option is for your iPhone or iPad to require your attention to unlock—so you need to have your eyes open and be looking at your device to unlock it.

But if someone disables this setting, Face ID might work with your eyes closed.

If this happens, someone could hold your phone up to your face while you’re asleep and unlock your device, access online accounts and apps, or make purchases using your Apple Pay.

How to prevent someone from unlocking your Face ID when your eyes are closed

So, knowing that Face ID could work with eyes closed is scary. After all, that means someone could hold your phone up to your face while you’re asleep and potentially unlock it—either to look through your messages, impersonate you, or even make purchases using your Apple Pay.

How can you ensure you can’t use Face ID with your eyes closed?

Fortunately, there is a way. It involves the Require Attention for Face ID option we’ve already mentioned.

This is enabled by default, but it is possible to turn it off. Some people choose to do this to make it quicker to unlock their phones or if they can’t focus on the screen, perhaps because of vision or sensory issues, or because they need to unlock their device while looking elsewhere.

And, if someone has access to your phone and wants to unlock it with Face ID when your eyes are closed, they might disable the Require Attention for Face ID option themselves.

How to ensure no one can use your Face ID when your eyes are closed:

1. Go to Settings > Face ID & Passcode, and enter your passcode.
2. Scroll down to Attention, and make sure Require Attention for Face ID is enabled.

What if you need to disable Face ID in an emergency?

Maybe someone has access to your iPhone and is trying to unlock it using Face ID without your consent. You can force the device to bypass Face ID and instead only accept your passcode by using the Emergency SOS feature.

How to disable Face ID in an emergency:

1. Press and hold the side button and a volume button for a count of two seconds.
2. Press the side button again to lock your iPhone.

This will temporarily disable the feature, so no one can unlock your phone by holding it up to your face. The next time you unlock and lock your phone, though, Face ID will be enabled again—unless you turn it off.

Conclusion

By default, you can’t make Face ID work with your eyes closed—it requires your attention with your eyes open. But you can change that setting, and many people do, especially if they want to access their phone more quickly or don’t want to look at their screen during the unlock process.

If you disable the Require Attention for Face ID activation option, someone might be able to use Face ID with your eyes closed to unlock your device. So, to keep your iPhone or iPad extra secure, keep this option enabled.

To be sure that no one else is unlocking and accessing your phone, use Clario Anti Spy’s Unlock Catcher. The app takes a photo every time someone unlocks your device, so you can check to see whether any unauthorized users are attempting to gain access.