I have an identical twin and I've noticed something strange with our iPhones. We both have iPhone 15s with the latest iOS and have only one face registered on each phone. Despite that, my twin can unlock my phone using his face, but I can't unlock his phone with mine. We even tried removing our faces from Face ID and setting them up again in the same way, but the problem persists. Why is it that he can access my phone but I can't access his?
3 Answers
It sounds like you’re in a tricky situation! Face ID is designed to recognize faces, but identical twins can sometimes confuse the system. If you want both of you to access each other's phones, you could register both faces on both devices. However, if you're not comfortable with that, it might be better to stick with just your own registrations for security.
Have you tried setting up your phone with his face and vice versa? This could confirm if the phones are truly recognizing you both as similar enough to access them, showing how much facial similarities might come into play in Face ID technology.
According to Apple support, the chance of Face ID recognizing a random user is less than 1 in a million. However, that probability is higher for identical twins due to similar facial features. Even if you feel there are differences now, the software might not recognize them well enough to deny access, mainly because it's still trying to match facial similarities. It's a good idea to use a passcode if you're worried about this.
Yeah, we’re both in our twenties and have similar features since we grew up looking almost identical. I just can’t wrap my head around how his phone unlocks with my face but not the other way around. Seems unfair!
In an ideal world, I’d prefer he not have access to my phone either. But if he can already get in, I think it's only fair that I should be able to as well, right?