How to Easily Disable Face ID on iPhone

Apple iPhones are always the spearhead for cutting-edge biometric security, and while previous iPhone models used Touch ID, while all newer models – starting with iPhone X – used Face ID. Both Touch ID and Face ID are great and secure ways of unlocking: Touch ID allows you to unlock your phone by placing your finger on the iPhone’s fingerprint sensor, while Face ID could be said to be even more useful because you just have to lift the device and look at it. But sometimes – and for whatever reason – you may want to disable Face ID.

Disable Face ID on iPhone

If you find yourself in a situation where you don’t want the phone to be unlocked with a glance or the touch of a finger and you’d rather leave a password as the only way to unlock the iPhone, here’s how to do it.

Temporary deactivation of Face ID and Touch ID

In most situations, simply disabling biometric security is enough so you don’t have to remember to turn it on again later or worry about turning it on and off.

To temporarily disable these features, press and hold the power buttons and any of the volume buttons simultaneously. You will see options to turn off the phone and, depending on your configuration, you will see the options for emergency SOS and medical identification. Below these buttons you will see the option to cancel. Select this option and your phone will now have Face ID and Touch ID disabled until the next time you enter the password. Please note that as soon as you enter the password again, these features will be reactivated.

If you want to prevent it from being enabled when you least need it, follow these steps for a more permanent change.

Disable Face ID and Touch ID

If you think it’s best to completely disable these features until you manually enable them again, it’s possible and quite simple. Go to Settings and then Face ID and Access Code ; on older devices you will see Touch ID and Password instead. After entering your password you will see a series of options: there you can deactivate the use of the biometric function to unlock the iPhone.

Once you have disabled Face ID or Touch ID, the password will be the only way to unlock your device. We also suggest that if you are in a situation where you are concerned about protecting your data, check out our guide to the best encrypted messaging apps.