Face Unlock Not Working on Samsung S20, S20 Ultra: 10 Fixes

Face recognition not working on Samsung S20 could be a minor software bug; continue to read this troubleshooting and try to fix it. Despite any reason, we would try to help you out eliminate the face unlock issue and bring back the functionality. If you can’t fix with any of these solutions, run out to the Samsung center and tell them the issue.

Face recognition not working on S20

You Must Read This Before Going Further

• Clean your phone’s front camera and sensor.
• Make sure your front camera isn’t covered by dirt or dust, as well as don’t wear any mask or object that could make it difficult for the front camera to identify your face.
• Try unlocking the phone in a bright environment.
• Keep the phone on arm’s length while using Face Unlock for faster unlocking.
• Also, verify the screen protector isn’t covering the front camera.

Make sure that nothing is blocking Selfie Camera

Firstly, ensure that your camera is not covered by anything like a case, screen guard or dirt. If you have purchased a screen guard recently and going through a face recognition issue after gearing it up, then it could be the culprit. Remove the screen guard, case, dirt, or anything else blocking the front camera.

Disable and re-enable face recognition

If the face recognition on Samsung Galaxy S20 doesn’t work, then try to turn off face recognition and ON. After disabling the face recognition, restart your device and then enable face recognition. If you don’t, how to? Follow the given below steps.

1. Access App Tray.
2. Navigate to Settings Icon.
3. Search and hit Biometric and Security.
4. Tap Face Recognition.
5. Enter PIN.
6. Tap Face unlock to disable.

After doing so, restart your Samsung S20 and enable the face unlock by performing the same steps.

Re-register Your Face/Add Alternative Face

Many owners of old device like Samsung S10 has reported that face recognition works accurately after re-registering the face, so try to perform on Samsung Galaxy S20. This is a common issue for all Samsung high-end devices. If some file gets corrupted or replaced due to a third-party app leads to issues. Therefore registered your face and verify the issue.

1. Access the App Tray.
2. Go to Settings.
3. Scroll and tap Biometrics and security.
4. Select Face Recognition.
5. Enter a PIN.
6. Hit Remove Face Data.

Now register once again,

1. Access App Tray.
2. Go to Settings.
3. Scroll and Hit Biometrics and Settings.
4. Select Face Recognition.
5. Enter a PIN you have set up
6. Hit Next.
7. It will ask Do you wear Glasses? if you wear then hit YES, if not tap NO.
8. Hit Continue.
9. Now put your face in the square box highlighted on screen.
10. Tap Done.

Disable Lock Screen Swipe

Face Recognition is the best way to authenticate the Phone. Facelock unlocks the screen by default but needs one more swipe to reach the home screen. If you want to reach out to the home screen conveniently, disable the Lock Screen Swipe. 

1. Navigate to the Biometric And Security in the Settings App.
2. Choose Face Recognition and turn off Stay On Lock Screen Until Swipe.

Enable Faster Recognition

Try enabling the fast recognition by following the steps below.

1. Go to Biometric And Security in the Settings App.
2. Hit on Face Recognition and turn on Faster Recognition. 

Disable Require Open Keys

To make Face Recognition more advanced, these features need to imply on the Phone. But unlike Faster Recognition, it’s less secure. For instance, if you wear Sunglasses, turning off requires open keys; it will still allow Face Recognition to work typically whenever you wear them.

1. Go to Settings > Biometric And Security.
2. Choose Face Recognition and then turn off Require Open Eyes. 

Enable Brighten Screen

Are you currently in the low light? If yes, that’s why Face Recognition is not working on Samsung S20 and S20 Ultra. To verify or prevent the cause, enable brighten screen by following the steps below. 

1. Go to Settings > Biometric And Security.
2. Choose Face Recognition > turn off Brighten Screen.

Check for the latest update

Outdated OS is often the culprit behind various issue, including Face unlock not working. So If your device is running on an older version, update it to the latest OS by following steps below.

1. Head to the Settings App.
2. Choose Software Upates. And if available, select Download And Install.

Clear Cache and Data

The corrupted cache and data on your Samsung S20 can be one of the reasons to look on. Considering this scenario, we recommend clearing cache and data.

1. Access App Tray.
2. Hit Settings Icon.
3. Select Apps.
4. Hit three dots located on the top right corner.
5. Select Show System Apps.
6. Search and hit Face Unlock.
7. Select Storage.
8. Touch Clear Data/Cache.

After this, verify the issue and if still doesn’t fix move to next procedure.

Wipe Cache Partition

You do need to wipe the cache partition of Samsung S20 to regain the facial recognition ability. It won’t remove any personal data from your phone, but only the cache files that fasten the device.

1. Turn off the phone.
2. Press and hold the Volume up button and Power/Bixby button.
3. Release the keys when Android logo displays.
4. Wait for a while, ‘Installing system update’ message will be displayed.
5. Use the Volume down key to navigate to the Wipe cache partition.
6. Begin the Wipe cache partition, press the Power/Bixby button.
7. Once the process completes, highlight the Reboot system now and again press the Power/Bixby button.

Reset your Phone

If your Samsung Galaxy S20 face recognition still doesn’t work ‘reset’ can help you solve the problem. To reset follow the given below steps.

Note: Backup all the important data stored in the device before performing the below steps.

1. Access the App Tray.
2. Navigate to Settings Icon.
3. Select General management.
4. Tap Reset.
5. Hit Factory data reset.

Face Recognition Not Working on Samsung S20 After Update

Facial recognition won’t be available for the folks who use a security system like Exchange ActiveSync or Mobile Device Management, especially after updating the system software. The Face Unlock doesn’t provide much protection compared to PIN and Password, so if you use such security programs on Samsung S20 or any Samsung phone, don’t worry, use the PIN or Password for better security.

Visit Service Center

All the above solutions haven’t worked to fix Face Recognition on Samsung phones; it’s time to take your device to a nearer service center and ask for the repair. 

Contact Samsung

If face recognition still doesn’t works, take it to the service center because it could be a hardware issue? This would be a perfect choice to take assistance from the experts.

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