iOS 16 Adds Support for Landscape Face ID - MacRumors
Skip to Content

iOS 16 Adds Support for Landscape Face ID

On supported iPhone models running iOS 16, Face ID is able to work in landscape mode, making it easier to unlock the iPhone when it's not held in the standard Portrait orientation.

faceidscaniphonex
There isn't a lot about the feature on Apple's website at the current time, but it sounds like it will offer a much improved unlocking experience. Apple does not specify which iPhones are considered "supported iPhone models," but it appears to be limited to the iPhone 13 as we were not able to get it to work on an iPhone 12 device.

Related Forum: iOS 16

Popular Stories

iPhone Handoff Feature

iOS 27 Introduces New 'iPhone Handoff' Feature

Wednesday September 2, 2026 12:35 pm PDT by
Apple has added a new "iPhone Handoff" feature to iOS 27 that will allow you to switch between two iPhones while using the same phone number on each device. This functionality was briefly mentioned during the WWDC 2026 keynote in June, on a slide that listed hundreds of new features coming in iOS 27 and corresponding software updates, but Apple never shared any further details at the time. ...
Apple Watch Ultra 2 Black Titanium

New Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 Features Revealed

Sunday August 30, 2026 7:54 am PDT by
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today further outlined what to expect from the Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 set to be unveiled on September 9. While it was initially rumored that Touch ID may be coming to the Apple Watch this year, Gurman reiterated that he does not expect the Series 12 or Ultra 4 to have any major design changes compared to the current Series 11 and Ultra 3 models. ...
John Ternus and Rainbow Countour Apple Logo

Apple Just Made a Very Controversial Decision on New CEO's First Day

Wednesday September 2, 2026 6:31 am PDT by
Apple's former hardware engineering chief John Ternus became its CEO on Tuesday, and the company made a controversial decision on his very first day in charge. As of Tuesday, Apple Maps users in the U.S. see the name "Lake America" instead of Lake Ontario for the Great Lake that straddles the New York—Ontario border. Apple made this change after the U.S. Geographic Names Information...

Top Rated Comments

55 months ago
Kinda frustrating to know that this has just been a software limitation this whole time. I mean, I’m glad to get it. Better late than never, but still.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Canubis Avatar
55 months ago
So, can we hope for a Landscape mode Homescreen as well?
Just last week I saw Landscape Homescreen on the aging iPhone 7 Max of my sister and was stunned this existed on that model but was apparently removed for any later phone with FaceID.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ProfessionalFan Avatar
55 months ago

This feature does not appear to be implemented in the current beta
Are you sure?

I just tried it on my iPhone 13 Pro in landscape which is running iOS 16 Beta 1 and it worked.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Return Zero Avatar
55 months ago
LONG overdue, like the ability to mark texts as unread. Better late than never.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
55 months ago
I don’t use my phone in ‘landscape mode’ all that much, but there are times where if I’m watching some type of media in landscape mode, and I need to unlock the display, that’s when this would be most useful for me. Otherwise, I primarily would still use portrait, but it’s nice to have the alternative.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️ Avatar
55 months ago

Was this mentioned?
I don't think so. Craig didn't mention bunch of cool features, man. We literally have to hunt them down.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)