Issues with Face and touch unlock

Face or touch unlock works best on the following devices and browsers, especially with combinations that match between device and browser. If you are using Firefox and cannot authenticate with face or touch unlock, switch to using Safari if on an Apple device or Chrome if on a Windows or Android device.

• Devices
  • Laptop or desktops running Windows 10, macOS 13, Chrome OS 109, or newer
  • Mobile devices running iOS 16, Android 9, or newer
  • Your device must have screen unlock enabled
• Browsers
  • Chrome 109 or newer
  • Safari 16 or newer
  • Edge 109 or newer

Important: You will need to enable cloud sync on your device (iCloud or Windows Hello for example) if you want to use face or touch unlock to sign in to Login.gov across multiple devices.

We strongly recommend adding a second authentication method in case you replace or lose your device. If you lose access to your only authentication method, you will need to delete your account and create a new one.

Depending on your device and browser combination, you may get a message about a PIN, pattern, QR code, security key, or passkey:

• If you get a message asking for your PIN or pattern, enter the PIN or pattern you use to unlock your device and follow the instructions.
• If you get a message to scan a QR code, use the camera on your mobile device to scan the QR code on your screen. We advise you to scan the QR code with the device you originally used to set up face or touch unlock.
• If you get a message about a security key, but do not have access to one, choose an option that uses a different device.
• If you see messages mentioning passkeys, they are referring to face or touch unlock. When you set up face or touch unlock, you create a passkey on your device.
• If you are still having trouble, you may need to delete your account. Contact our help desk if you need assistance.

Enabling cloud sync on your device allows you to sign in using face or touch unlock on different devices. Cloud syncing saves your face or touch unlock credentials to a password manager such as iCloud Keychain, Windows Hello, or 1Password. In doing so, you’re able to access your credential on any device you own that is connected to the cloud.

To learn more about setting up cloud sync, please check out your platform’s support page.

Face or touch unlock will only work on the original device you set it up with unless you set up face or touch unlock on a newer device and browser that supports passkeys, and has bluetooth or cloud sync between your accounts enabled. Having bluetooth or cloud sync enabled allows your face or touch unlock credential to be shared between your devices.

If face or touch unlock is tied to your device and you don’t have access to that particular device any longer, you may need to delete your account and create a new one. Please contact us if you need assistance.

To prevent having to delete your account in the future, we strongly recommend setting up more than one authentication method. That way, you have a back-up authentication method to use for signing in in case you lose one.

If your device and browser supports cloud sync, you can use face or touch unlock on multiple devices. Otherwise, face or touch unlock only works on the same device and browser where you set it up.

• If you set up face or touch unlock on a device that doesn’t support cloud sync, try using the same device and browser to unlock your account. If you no longer have access to them, you will need to use another authentication method.
• If you set up face or touch unlock on a device that was signed into a cloud service such as iCloud or your Google Account, you may be able to sign in on any other device as long as it’s also signed into that cloud service.
• If you set up face or touch unlock on another device, but don’t see face or touch unlock when signing into Login.gov, your current device does not support face or touch unlock. Try using the same device and browser you used to set it up.

We recommend you set up additional authentication methods in case you lose access to a device that supports face or touch unlock.