iPhone 13 Face ID Archives - Gizmochina

iPhone 13’s Face ID discovered not to work after third-party screen replacement

Jed John Ikoba — Tue, 28 Sep 2021 14:28:39 +0000

The Face ID feature is one of the highlights of the recently unveiled iPhone 13. When activated, Face ID grants access to the iPhone 13 when the phone is brought to a clear view of the owner’s face. It is therefore one of the many options available to unlock the iPhone 13.

An Apple iPhone 13 screen decoupling video in circulation indicates that the Face ID feature will not work if the original screen of the device is replaced by an authorized technician. The video showed the removal of the screen of an iPhone 13 and replacing it with another iPhone 13 model’s screen. The face recognition feature did not work when this was done. The decoupler established a correct connection by reconnecting the original screen, which also allowed the Face ID feature to function again. This seemingly confirms that Face ID on the iPhone 13 will stop working if the screen is swapped with another original iPhone 13 screen.

There could be some protocols needed to make the Face ID feature to be operative in a new iPhone replacement screen. It is also likely that this procedure could only be successfully done in authorized Apple repair stores. Apple uses the Independent Repair Program to license affiliated stores which qualify them to offer the needed repair services. Apple will continue to take some flak for its measures put in place to deter third-party repairs of its products. There are prompts that notify users that their display or camera, or any other key feature is non-genuine when such components are replaced by unaffiliated outlets.

Apple has further deepened the difficulty of getting replacement components outside its approved outlets to work on the iPhone 13. The key component of the Face ID feature, the TrueDepth system is fully housed inside the iPhone and not with the screen itself. Indeed, Apple has an independent iPhone repair program but the reach of this program is still quite limited, even with rapid expansion efforts by the company. It has also been noted that the authorized outlets could offer significantly higher prices for repairs than independent and sometimes small-holding repair outlets. The waiting period could also be higher with the Apple-licensed outlets.

It is unclear whether the issue preventing the working of the Face ID feature when the screen is replaced is a bug or deliberate. Apple has had to provide a quick update for the iPhone 13 relating to Apple Music issues.

iPhone 13 Pro teardown by iFixit reveals details about Face ID changes & more

Zohaib Ahmed — Tue, 28 Sep 2021 07:21:18 +0000

A teardown by iFixit has revealed that the size reduction of the notch across the entire Apple iPhone 13 lineup has been made possible thanks to a new Face ID array that combines the flood illuminator and dot protector into a single module. This is accompanied by the transfer of the earpiece speaker from the notch to the top bezel.

The folks at iFixit had shared these details following a live stream of the in-depth iPhone 13 Pro teardown process on Friday. They also gave the phone a repairability rating of just 5/10, which is down from the 6/10 for the iPhone 12 Pro last year.

Image: iFixit

Further, iFixit explained that the dot projector in the front-facing camera has “moved from the edge to the center of the module this year.” The flood illuminator has been integrated into this new module, thus moved from its previous position in the display. iFixit also confirmed that a display replacement would break Face ID.

“Face ID works even when we disconnected the front sensor assembly. However, any display replacement knocks out Face ID. We tried transferring the sensors from the old display and porting over the Face ID hardware, but no dice. It looks like the display is serial-locked to the phone.”

Image: iFixit

Apple might also be using a new touch-integrated OLED panel this year in the iPhone 13 Pro, the teardown revealed. The tech basically combines the OLED and touch layers of a display, which reduces cost, thickness, and the materials required.

One particularly annoying change you might have to put up with if you ever decide to take matters into your own hands and attempt an iPhone repair yourself is that the top speaker’s standoff screws are trapped under the logic board. This means that you’ll have to remove the board to swap the speaker. This change has been due to the moving of the earpiece speaker to the top bezel.

All in all, these changes are exactly what has led to the drop in the repairability rating. This, combined with the following red marks against the iPhone 13’s repairability:

No easy way to replace the rear glass. Broken glasses are still a common occurrence despite the improvements in durability over the years.
Software component pairing that needlessly complicates the repair process and reduces the credibility of third-party repairs.

If interested in the complete iFixit iPhone 13 Pro teardown, just head over to this link.