How To Add Multiple People To Face ID On iPhone

Apple’s Face ID is great for quickly unlocking your iPhone, and it can even work with multiple people if you share an iPhone with someone else. Biometric security on smartphones has changed a lot over the years. We’ve seen rear-mounted fingerprint sensors, under-display fingerprint sensors, and — more recently — facial recognition.

Apple switched from Touch ID to Face ID in 2017 with the iPhone X. While it was a controversial change at the time, Face ID’s gradually evolved to become one of the best phone unlock methods ever. It’s fast, secure, and easy to use. Apple even updated Face ID to work with face masks, allowing users to still use the feature when their face is covered.

On top of all that, another great Face ID feature is adding multiple people/users. It’s easy to add another person to an iPhone’s Face ID, although Apple doesn’t mention this anywhere. Instead, Apple calls it an ‘alternate appearance.’ While it’s intended for one person who may have different appearances, it can also be used to add a completely different person. Apple doesn’t prevent the owner from adding an entirely different face, but it does place a limit of only one alternate appearance/person. This is meant as a security feature since adding several faces would reduce the accuracy and security of the system.

How To Add Another Person To Face ID

Adding another person to your iPhone’s Face ID can be done in seconds. All you need to do is follow the steps below:

• Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
• Scroll down the page and tap on ‘Face ID & Passcode.’
• Enter your iPhone’s passcode.
• Tap ‘Set Up an Alternate Appearance.’

This prompts you to have the other person complete a Face ID scan of their face, just like when you first set up your iPhone. Once the scan is complete, the other person can use Face ID the same as you. This includes approving App Store purchases, unlocking sensitive apps, approving using Apple Pay, etc.

Why You Should Add Multiple People To Face ID

While adding multiple people to Face ID is easy enough, in what situation is this actually useful? This is a great trick for partners who regularly use each other’s phones. If you’re in a relationship with someone and want them to be able to use your phone if they need to, adding them to your iPhone’s Face ID can be really helpful. This also works if you’re a parent and want to set up a Face ID profile for your kid. Any situation where you’re sharing your iPhone with another person, having multiple people on its Face ID is a good idea.

That said, caution should be used when taking advantage of this trick to add a second person. The iPhone will consider them to be the owner of the Apple account and the owner of the phone. That means all information on the iPhone will be exposed to the other person. For example, Safari history, bookmarks, and autofill information will work for the second person the same way as for the owner. That means you should only add another person to Face ID if you fully trust them. If you do, it’s a handy workaround that can make Face ID even more useful than Apple intended it to be.

Source: Apple

About The Author

Alan Truly
(1129 Articles Published)

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Alan is a Tech Writer living in Nova Scotia, Canada. A tech-enthusiast since his youth, Alan stays current on what is new and what is next. With over 30 years experience in computer, video and photo equipment, you can expect useful tips and insights in his writing. Alan has a degree in programming, many years focused on design, editing, and animation. A period of managing logistics and e-commerce operations for a mobile accessories company rounds out a diverse background. Alan is a true jack of all digital trades in this ever-changing computer-enriched world. To stay flexible in mind and in body, he practices yoga, light cardio, and eats a whole food diet, based on minimally processed plants.

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