iPhone 18 Pro Face ID not working in dark ambient conditions

There are three major components that make Face ID possible, infrared camera, dot projector and flood illuminator. The latter two are in the center Dynamic Island. However the infrared camera is hidden under the OLED display in the upper left corner.

This new arrangement of the infrared camera allowed the Dynamic Island to be smaller in overall size. The individual OLED pixels over the IR camera are arranged to allow infrared light light to pass through the display. It’s being noted by multiple sources that some screen protectors may interfere with the infrared light and cause issues for the IR camera.

If Face ID is working under specific conditions and not others, such as failing only in dark settings, I’d suspect the screen protector may be interfering with the IR camera. Try holding the iPhone at different distances and/or different angles. It may also be necessary to remove the screen protector for testing as well.

I had the same issue with my new iPhone 18 Pro Max. I went into the Face ID settings and turned off “Require Attention for Face ID” and “Attention Aware Features”. That immediately fixed the issue for me, and now my phone Face ID works in the dark.

Face ID uses infrared. It should work in the dark. I would contact Apple Support to have the phone checked

Hello bandiboy,

I have the 17PM not the 18Pro, but have you tried the following

• Try cleaning your TrueDepth camera with a clean dry microfiber cloth to remove any greasy fingerprints.
• next a shutdown restart may be in order to reset settings and Verify your FaceID settings weren’t reset by any Update.
• Holding the phone closer than 6 inches to your face can confuse the camera depth mapping. Ideal range is 10 to 20 inches.
• If none of the above work then tap RESET Face ID to re-enroll your face.

If you don’t have a microfiber cloth they can be found on Amazon. Don’t use anything rough or scratchy like a dry paper towel. I have found a clean iPhone works best.

You may try some of these steps, please check after each step...

1. Ensure your screen protector or case isn't obstructing the front-facing camera. See the poic below
   1. 
2. If you still need help, reset your Face ID, then set it up again. Go to Settings, tap Face ID & Passcode, then tap Reset Face ID. Next, tap Set up Face ID to set it up again. If Face ID isn't working on your iPhone or iPad Pro
3. Sometimes, a simple restart can resolve temporary software glitches. Turn off your iPhone, wait for a few seconds, and then turn it back on.
   1. Restart the device. That's it. 
   2. Still not solved --> Force restart iPhone - Apple Support
4. Corporate iPhone Profile Check and Removal Guide
   1. Is this your corporate iPhone? Then please contact the system administrator of your corporate.
   2. If it is your device, in that case, do you have any profile installed by your corporate/organization/enterprise/School Management? 
   3. Erase the profile added by you If you have installed a profile on your own --> Install or remove configuration profiles on iPhone - Apple ...
   4. Please contact the system administrator of the organization who provided the profile to you 
5. Parts and service history
   1. With iPhone 12 models and later using iOS 15.2 and later, you can go to Settings > General > About to see the parts and service history of your iPhone and you can see if the camera has been replaced. If the repair was done using genuine Apple parts and processes, you will see "Genuine Apple Part" next to Camera.
   2. 
   3.  
   4. You will see an Unknown Part  message if the camera installation is incomplete or if the camera:
   5. Was replaced with a nongenuine camera
   6. Was already used or installed in another iPhone
   7. Isn't functioning as expected
   8. This message doesn't affect your ability to use your iPhone or access your camera. Learn more about iPhone parts and service history.
   9. If your iPhone's camera has been previously replaced, repaired, or serviced by an unauthorized service provider, it's worth noting that Apple may decline to provide service for your device. The decision to refuse service will depend on the specific components that were affected by the unauthorized service.
6. If the issue persists, you can try resetting all settings on your iPhone. This will not erase your data but will reset all personalized settings to their default values. Go to Settings > General > Transfer & Reset > Reset > Reset All Settings and confirm the action. Note that you will need to reconfigure your settings afterward. All settings—including network settings, the keyboard dictionary, the Home screen layout, location settings, privacy settings, and Apple Pay cards—are removed or reset to their defaults. No data or media are deleted.
   1. Reset All Settings: Return iPhone settings to their defaults - Apple Support:- Return iPhone settings to their defaults
   2. You can return settings to their defaults without erasing your content.
   3. If you want to save your settings, back up your iPhone before returning them to their defaults. For example, if you’re trying to solve a problem but returning settings to their defaults doesn’t help, you might want to restore your previous settings from a backup.
   4. 
7. Make sure you have the latest updates installed.
   1. Update Over-the-Air (OTA) —> Update your iPhone or iPad - Apple Support (IN)
   2. Update using iTunes/Finder —> Update your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch - Apple Support (IN)

If none of the above steps resolve the issue, it is recommended to reach out to Apple Support or visit an authorized service center for further assistance. They can provide specific guidance based on your device model and iOS version.

I returned the 18 pro max for this very reason and went back to the air. Low light Face ID performance is currently way worse than previous models. Soon as I swapped back to the air is was normal again

The only thing I could find which may affect this might be to turn your screen brightness up and see if that help illuminate your face when using Face ID in the dark. I just tested my 18 Pro Max in a totally dark room and Face ID worked as expected.

Maybe the under image infrared transmitter is affected by the lock screen image. If it's bright try darker, and vice versa.

Long shot I know.

I am having the same issue. It works fine under lighted conditions, but it does not work at all in the dark.

All other iPhone I had worked fine in the dark.

Experiencing the same with my 18 Pro. According to Apple’s original FaceID adverts, it uses infrared + true depth camera, so there should be no need to make the screen brighter for it to work.

Same here. My 18 Pro Face ID at night is terrible. Won’t work at all when in bed in the dark. This is junk compared to my 14 Pro.

Same for me. I went to T-Mobile where I got it and they said there was an update to fix it. I left, did the update, but it hasn't gotten any better. My 16 pro max never had this issue.