Step 1 of 6

Clean your phone's front camera lens

A dirty camera can't see your face clearly. Cleaning it in many cases fixes face unlock right away.

NEVER DO THIS

Don't assume your phone is broken just because face unlock failed once. Try again in better lighting.
Don't register your face while wearing sunglasses or a hat. Register without them so it works when you're dressed normally.

Step 2 of 6

Make sure you have good lighting

Face unlock works best in moderate, steady light. Dim rooms or very bright sunlight can confuse it.

Try using face unlock in a well-lit room with natural or indoor light
Avoid very dim lighting or pointing the camera directly at a bright light source
Turn your face slightly to make sure both sides are visible to the camera

Step 3 of 6

Unlock your phone with your PIN or password temporarily

While you fix face unlock, use your backup authentication method to get into your phone.

Step 4 of 6

Delete your saved face data

This clears the corrupted recognition data so you can register your face fresh.

Step 5 of 6

Set up face unlock again

Re-registering your face gives the phone fresh, clean data to work with.

In the same Security menu, tap Add Face or Set Up Face Unlock
Follow the on-screen instructions. Hold your phone at a natural distance from your face.
Move your head slowly as prompted to let the camera capture your face from different angles
When it says it's complete, tap Done or Finish

Step 6 of 6

Test your face unlock

Make sure it's working properly before you rely on it.

Android face unlock not recognizing you