I purchased a refurbished 13 Pro (not from Apple, they don’t sell refurb 13’s yet). It’s in really fantastic condition (screen, exterior, camera, etc), however the Face ID does not work. The phone detects an issue with the depth camera, and doesn’t allow me to enter the setup.
This is not a big deal to me, especially since the phone is in such good condition. I don’t really mind using a pin to unlock the phone, though I would prefer Touch ID. I could send it back, but I’m not sure the next one I would get would be in as good of condition as this one.
Is there more to consider? Is Face ID a particularly useful feature (I’ve only ever had finger-print)? Is the depth camera used for any other critical functions or limit other functionalities of the phone? Thanks for the info!
You are passing up on one of apples best features
Not a chance would I keep it. It would immediately get returned.
I love Face ID and it’s miles better than Touch ID. I would hate typing in a passcode every time. If you got a good price and want to you can get the phone repaired to use face id
Honestly once you’ve experienced Face ID, the whole pin system feels so outdated and slow
One of the reasons I got an iPhone was Face ID, return it and get one that works
If you wear an Apple Watch, that can often unlock the phone for you
Face ID works perfectly for me even after 2 years, you got a dud and odds are that your next one will work as intended
Couldn’t go without Face ID. Deal breaker for me.
Can you use banking apps without Face ID or biometrics?
Yes, it falls back to use a PIN (like before FaceID)
It’s crucial if you use or will soon use the phone when driving. It’s dangerous to enter a PIN when trying to pay attention to the road and traffic.
I would just have the phone stay unlocked when it’s connected to my car’s bluetooth, assuming that that’s a feature (I’ve always done that on Android).
It would be really annoying
It would be a dealbreaker for me.
Could it be some aftermarket camera on the front that they put in there?
It’s most likely someone did an amateur screen repair and broke the cameras ribbon cable somewhere. There’s a plethora of sensors and it happens to be software locked to the phone at factory. So you can’t replace it and maintain full functionality. Due to this the person not only loses faceID functionality but they also lose the ability to use Apple Pay, or store information in the Secure Enclave chip like credit cards, tickets, insurance etc.
It’s hard to believe there is any good reason for that camera to not be functional if the phone is in good condition. I worry it’s indicative of a bad drop and other problems down the road.
Mine just randomly stopped working a few days ago on my 11 pm. The phone is otherwise in mint condition.
I am retired. Your 13 Pro would work just fine for somebody like me. During set up, I would have declined Face ID as unneeded so I would never have known.