Test Suggests Face ID on iPhone 13 Doesn't Work After Screen Replacement By Third Party

Update: According to the video mentioned below, even if an iPhone 13 display is replaced with a genuine and original ‌iPhone‌ 13 screen, Face ID will stop working. In the video, the repair provider swapped two original ‌iPhone‌ 13 screens and in both cases, ‌Face ID‌ was inoperative after the new screens were installed. It seems to be the case that if the original screen is put back with the original ‌iPhone‌ 13, ‌Face ID‌ returns, ruling out the possibility of an improper installation.



If a customer gets their ‌iPhone‌ 13 display replaced by a third-party repair store or provider, such as those not licensed or affiliated with Apple through its Independent Repair Program, ‌Face ID‌ on the ‌iPhone‌ will no longer be useable.

iPhone 13 Face ID
Apple has long faced criticism for making it difficult for third-party repair stores and providers to fix and repair their products. Apple already displays a prompt for customers inside Settings that informs them that their display is a "non-genuine display," and a similar prompt for "non-genuine cameras" was introduced earlier this year.

Apple claims these prompts help inform customers that they aren't using genuine Apple parts and is part of its more comprehensive plan to ensure customer devices are only repaired and diagnosed by certified Apple technicians.

With the ‌iPhone‌ 13 this year, Apple further makes it more difficult for customers to get repairs from third-party stores and providers. As discovered in a repair video, the ‌iPhone‌ 13 screen includes no components for ‌Face ID‌ to function, as all the parts for the TrueDepth system are housed in the ‌iPhone‌ itself.

Despite this, if an ‌iPhone‌ 13 display is replaced with a "non-genuine" or even a genuine, original ‌iPhone‌ 13 display, ‌Face ID‌ stops working, despite there seemingly being no hardware within the display itself needed for ‌Face ID‌ to function.

Important Display Message
Unable to verify this iPhone has a genuine Apple display.

Apple runs its own Independent ‌iPhone‌ Repair Program, which is designed to allow any company or third-party repair center to become an authorized Apple service provider only if they meet the requirements and go through the process.

Apple has expanded the program to more countries worldwide, but compared to fully independent third-party repair providers, authorized Apple outlets often have higher prices, longer wait times, and poor customer service. Companies and stores certified through Apple get access to genuine Apple parts, manuals, and device instructions, including information not available to third-party repair stores.

Given the lack of hardware reasoning for the ‌iPhone‌ 13's ‌Face ID‌ to no longer be usable after a third-party screen is installed, Apple could patch this via an iOS update if it's a simple iOS 15 bug. Keeping in mind its past efforts to consolidate ‌iPhone‌ repairs to only stores and centers it chooses to consider "authorized," however, this is unlikely to be a mistake and will only further fuel the Right to Repair movement. We've reached out to Apple for comment.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 14 New Features

Friday July 4, 2025 1:05 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are just over two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models. Latest Rumors These rumors surfaced in June and July:Apple logo repositioned: Apple's logo may have a lower position on the back of the iPhone 17 Pro models, compared to previous...
iphone 16 pro models 1

Here's How the iPhone 17 Pro Max Will Compare to the iPhone 17 Pro

Saturday July 5, 2025 1:00 pm PDT by
Apple should unveil the iPhone 17 series in September, and there might be one bigger difference between the Pro and Pro Max models this year. As always, the Pro Max model will be larger than the Pro model:iPhone 17 Pro: 6.3-inch display iPhone 17 Pro Max: 6.9-inch displayGiven the Pro Max is physically larger than the Pro, it has more internal space, allowing for a larger battery and...
airpods pro 2

AirPods Pro 3 to Help Maintain Apple's Place in Earbud Market Amid Increasing Low-Cost Competition

Thursday July 3, 2025 7:25 am PDT by
Apple's position as the dominant force in the global true wireless stereo (TWS) earbud market is expected to continue through 2025, according to Counterpoint Research. The forecast outlines a 3% year-over-year increase in global TWS unit shipments for 2025, signaling a transition from rapid growth to a more mature phase for the category. While Apple is set to remain the leading brand by...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Max Battery Capacity Leaked

Thursday July 3, 2025 5:40 am PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature the biggest ever battery in an iPhone, according to the Weibo leaker known as "Instant Digital." In a new post, the leaker listed the battery capacities of the iPhone 11 Pro Max through to the iPhone 16 Pro Max, and added that the iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature a battery capacity of 5,000mAh: iPhone 11 Pro Max: 3,969mAh iPhone 12 Pro Max: 3,687mAh...
Apple Watch Ultra Night Mode Screen

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Launching Later This Year With Two Key Upgrades

Wednesday July 2, 2025 1:13 pm PDT by
The long wait for an Apple Watch Ultra 3 appears to be nearly over, and it is rumored to feature both satellite connectivity and 5G support. Apple Watch Ultra's existing Night Mode In his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is on track to launch this year with "significant" new features, including satellite connectivity, which would let you...
apple silicon mac lineup 2024 feature purple m5

Apple's Upcoming Macs Listed in New Report

Thursday July 3, 2025 9:09 am PDT by
AppleInsider's Marko Zivkovic today shared a list of alleged identifiers for future Mac models, which should roll out over the next year or so. The report does not reveal anything too surprising, but it does serve as further evidence that Apple is seemingly working on new models of every Mac, including the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac mini, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro. Apple is...
Future M5 Chip Devices

M5 Chip Rumored to Debut in These Five Apple Products Later This Year

Friday July 4, 2025 9:14 am PDT by
Apple's next-generation M5 chip is expected to debut in five new products later this year, including the iPad Pro, Vision Pro, MacBook Pro, Mac mini, and iMac. M5 chips will reportedly be manufactured with TSMC's latest third-generation 3nm process, which should result in slight performance and power efficiency improvements over M4 chips fabricated with its second-generation 3nm process. ...

Top Rated Comments

Wanted797 Avatar
49 months ago
We need right to repair so much.
Score: 79 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Bushibot Avatar
49 months ago
This is the kind of behavior that gets more and more attention on right to repair laws.
Score: 43 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Adithya007 Avatar
49 months ago
hahahahahahahha matter of time before the iPhone will self destruct itself when opened. Tim Apple. ??
Score: 42 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Pakaku Avatar
49 months ago

Apple could patch this via an iOS update if it's a simple iOS 15 bug.
Well, as we all know with Apple... it's not a bug, it's a feature!
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JPack Avatar
49 months ago
Maybe Apple will eventually Face ID the person performing repairs and compre it against a list of authorized Apple repair techs. For safely reasons of course and nothing to do with money. ?
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
49 months ago
Sounds like Apple doesn't want you taking your precious iPhones to the third party.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)