Face ID on iPhone 13 stops working if a third party replaces the phone’s screen

With the addition of features like a 120Hz display on some models, Apple’s iPhone 13 lineup is way above the phones the company shipped last year. But when it comes to the issue of repairability, the story is more complicated. While performing a teardown of the device, iFixit discovered that it could not make the iPhone 13’s Face ID function work if it replaced the phone’s screen. Regardless of the workaround tried, iFixit was unable to get Face ID to work again. According to his estimate, the display of the iPhone 13 range is serially locked on the device. “For now, if you replace your screen, Apple kills your Face ID, unless it controls the repair,” the company warns.

While this is obviously not a good look for Apple, there may be a simple explanation for what is going on. iFixit said it spoke to a certified repair technician who said Apple Support told them the issue was a bug the company plans to fix in a future version of iOS. We contacted Apple for more information. If it turns out that this limitation isn’t a mistake, it would be a cheeky move on Apple’s part given that the FTC, in the, recently voted unanimously in favor of.