Introduction
As a facial-recognition technology initially launched on iPhone X, Face ID has been applied to latest iPhones, including iPhone XS，XS Max and XR. With this amazing Face ID system, users can unlock their devices by scanning and confirming facial identity. Whether you are wearing a hat, putting on glasses or you are in the dark.
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There are 8 components packed into the front of the phone. Infrared Camera; Flood Illuminator; Proximity Sensor; Ambient Light Sensor; Speaker; Microphone; Front Camera; Dot Projector;
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The infrared camera, the dot projector and the front camera are located on the back glass assembly.
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The flood illuminator, the proximity sensor, the ambient light sensor, the speaker and the microphone are located on the display assembly.
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We can see that there are many holes on the flood illuminator that are arranged in a matrix of 11×11.
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The chip is connected to the circuit board with the help of gold wires.
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Once water damaged, these holes can be blocked. And you will be faced up with Face ID failure.
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Chip 1 is an unencrypted chip.
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Chip 2 is the flood illuminator. Chip 3 and Chip 4 are proximity sensors that are responsible for receiving and transmitting respectively.
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The outer layer of the dot projector is sealed with resin and protected by metal welding techniques.
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Pay attention to these welding points. They can easily fall off once the phone is dropped. And once off, they cannot be restored.
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Once the dot projector has been detached, we can see a crystal that looks just like a diamond lens.
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The infrared light is emitted from here. Then reflected by the crystal. Its projection range is determined by the lens afterwards.
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The chip on the left is used to store data, whereas the chip on the right side acts just like a projector. We can see that there are thousands of dots arranged here. The infrared light is emitted from here.
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Since necessary power supply is needed for chip on the right side to work normally, once water damaged, circuits here are most likely to get short. Which can also result in Face ID not working.
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We can see that there is a concave lens and a convex lens on the crystal. And the two are made of glass. Once dropped, Face ID can also be affected.
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Judging by what we have learned during the disassembling, main circuits of the Face ID are exposed. Once water damaged or exposed to a relatively humid environment, there might be electricity leakage or short-circuit problem that can result in Face ID failure.
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What’s more, most of the Face ID parts are made of glass. Once dropped, Face ID is most likely to be unavailable.
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In summary, Face ID can be easily damaged and hard to be restored. Therefore, please be very careful in daily use. Make sure the phone is protected from water-damage or heavy falling. Repair technicians must exercise caution when repairing the logic board or replacing the display assembly.
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14 comments
Best information I found on web about Face ID Failure. Keep up the great work.