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iOS 12: How to add a second person to Face ID on iPhone

While Face ID has seen overwhelmingly positive reviews on the whole, one trade-off compared to Touch ID has been the lack of support for multiple users. Fortunately, iOS 12 brings the option to add a second person for Face ID. Follow along for how to make use of this handy feature.

Even when Apple announced iOS 12 back in June, it didn’t highlight the change that allows a second person to be added to Face ID, but it is very welcome update for many. As for how the setting is named, it can be easy to miss. Instead of being found with a label like “Add User” or something similar, the feature is actually found under “Set Up Alternate Appearance” on iPhone X, XS, XS Max and XR. For now, only two people or “appearances” are supported.

iOS 12: How to add a second person to Face ID on iPhone

  1. Open Settings
  2. Swipe down and tap Face ID & Passcode
  3. Tap Set Up an Alternate Appearance
  4. Have the person you’d like to add as second user complete the following steps

Here’s how the process looks:

The person you’re adding will go through two scans, when they are successfully added, you’ll see the green check mark as shown below.

Keep in mind that if you want to add someone else, or remove the secondary user you’ve added, you’ll need to Reset Face ID, which will remove both users. Also, there’s no warning asking if you’d like to proceed when you tap Reset Face ID, one tap and it wipes the data.

For more help getting the most out of your Apple devices, check out our how to guide as well as the following articles on new iOS 12 features:


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