Face unlock stopped working on your iPhone XS Max? We test the sensors, and if the module is alive, unlocking is back within a day.
An error message, a face that is never recognised, a dead selfie camera: this is how Face ID trouble tends to appear, often after a drop or water.
Settings says Face ID is unavailable, and the switch is greyed out and refuses to respond to taps.
Even in good light the phone asks for the passcode every single time and does not read your face.
The front camera is black or dim and Portrait mode has vanished, because the sensors share one cable.
Face unlock worked fine until an impact, some moisture or a screen swap, and then it simply stopped.
The reference below covers the labour; the final figure depends on which part of the module has failed.
| Service | Original | Aftermarket |
|---|---|---|
| Front camera replacement | 47 900 ₸ | 26 900 ₸ |
| Proximity sensor replacement | 36 900 ₸ | 21 900 ₸ |
| Display replacement | 81 900 ₸ | 44 900 ₸ |
| Battery replacement | 30 900 ₸ | 17 900 ₸ |
| Back glass replacement | 45 900 ₸ | 28 900 ₸ |
| Housing replacement | 71 900 ₸ | 39 900 ₸ |
| Camera glass replacement | 22 900 ₸ | 12 900 ₸ |
| Main camera replacement | 64 900 ₸ | 35 900 ₸ |
| Charging port replacement | 46 900 ₸ | 27 900 ₸ |
| Earpiece speaker replacement | 36 900 ₸ | 21 900 ₸ |
| Speaker replacement | 29 900 ₸ | 17 900 ₸ |
| Microphone replacement | 36 900 ₸ | 21 900 ₸ |
| Button replacement | 36 900 ₸ | 21 900 ₸ |
| Vibration motor replacement | 27 900 ₸ | 16 900 ₸ |
| Display glass replacement | 69 900 ₸ | 38 900 ₸ |
| Other repairs | Price | |
| Face ID repairpaired to the board — no aftermarket | 34 900 ₸with parts | |
| Water damage cleaningcorrosion cleaning · diagnostics up to 2 days | 17 900 ₸per job | |
| Power controller replacementboard-level chip · microsoldering | 38 900 ₸with parts | |
| Wi-Fi module repairwireless module · board-level repair | 19 900 ₸with parts | |
| Logic board repairmicrosoldering · 1–3 days | 30 900 ₸per job | |
| Firmware flashingsoftware restore, no parts replaced | 15 900 ₸per job | |
| Storage replacement and upgradememory chip installation | 64 900 ₸with parts | |
A technician in Astana names the exact amount only after inspecting the phone and testing the sensors.
A Face ID repair begins by finding the culprit among the modules and ends with a check, and the list below lays out that path.
We check whether the sensors and camera respond and look for signs of impact, liquid or earlier tampering.
The display is carefully detached without stressing the delicate cables near the top edge of the frame.
We work out whether the dot projector, infrared camera, flex cable or a power line on the board is at fault.
A failed part of the module is swapped, or a damaged track is rebuilt if the board supplies no power.
Parts go back into place and we check that the display and the gasket sit properly to keep moisture out.
Face ID is set up again, and we try unlocking, Portrait and the front camera in realistic conditions.
You leave with face unlock working again and a warranty on the job.
Price for my modelThe choice depends on the damage and your budget, and the technician explains the trade-offs before work starts.
Face ID depends on delicate sensors and needs a straight diagnosis, so here is what you can rely on.
We have repaired Apple devices for eleven years, so the thin cables around the notch are familiar territory.
The warranty lasts up to 1 year, and you hear the terms before you hand over your phone.
Your phone is handled by a technician with confirmed qualifications for this kind of board-level work.
We explain how original and aftermarket parts differ, so the decision is yours and never made blindly.
If face unlock cannot be brought back, we say so plainly instead of swapping parts one after another.
Weekdays from ten to seven, weekends and public holidays from eleven to six, so a visit is easy to plan.
The customer dropped the phone on tiles, and Face ID stopped recognizing the face. We restored the dot projector module at the top edge, calibrated it, and tested unlocking — everything works.
The whole journey — from message to finished phone. We give you the old part.
Book a repairYou message us on WhatsApp with the model and what happened — we give you the price and time. Or you come in without an appointment.
We check Face ID, the projector, and the front camera to determine which component has failed.
We note the model, the part (original or aftermarket), the price, the timeframe, and the warranty.
We open the factory packaging in front of you and check the number against the receipt.
We work on the Face ID module under a microscope and seal the case with water-resistant adhesive.
Face ID setup, unlocking, front camera. You pick up the phone and the receipt.
Technicians for iPhone, Mac, iPad, Apple Watch and AirPods repair.
Photo: Bakmukhammed S.
Photo: Galymzhan S.
Photo: Zhandos Sh.
Photo: Darkhan T.
Photo: Kudiret S.If the screen is cracked, we change it together with the sensor repair.
02With the phone already open, a fresh battery restores endurance.
03We fix the selfie camera when it shares a cable with the sensors.
04We replace the top speaker when callers sound faint or muffled.
05Corrosion on the board is cleaned after the phone got wet or fell in water.
06A cracked rear panel is replaced to tidy up the body after a fall.
“If the repair didn’t suit you or you have a complaint, write to me personally.”
Send a photo of the screen and the iPhone model. An engineer will reply on WhatsApp, give the price and today's available time.
iPhone XS Max Face ID Repair in Astana with Everyday Function Check
For iPhone XS Max Face ID repair in Astana, iServices restores the original TrueDepth module instead of fitting a part from another phone, since Face ID is paired to the board. We confirm the faulty node in a free 15-minute check and back the work with a warranty up to 1 year.
Face ID on the XS Max unlocks more than the lock screen — it feeds Apple Pay, Memoji and portrait selfies. When it drops out, several everyday habits break at once, and the phone itself keeps working.
The message "A problem was detected with Face ID" points to a hardware fault in the TrueDepth assembly, not to a badly scanned face, so re-registering your appearance will not clear it. "Face ID is not available" usually appears after liquid or a drop and often arrives with a dead selfie camera or proximity sensor — that combination tells the engineer the fault sits on the shared top flex, not in software. A third wording, "Unable to activate Face ID on this iPhone," tends to follow a panel or flex swap where the part lost its pairing with the board. Photograph the exact message prior to opening the phone — the wording is the cheapest diagnostic clue you will get.
The common expectation is that a technician unplugs the broken sensor and clips in a fresh one. On the XS Max that is not how it works, and understanding why saves you a wasted trip.
The TrueDepth module is cryptographically paired with the Secure Enclave on the logic board of that specific handset, so a unit taken from another XS Max will not activate Face ID at all. The link is written into the chip during assembly and the handshake runs every time you lift the device to your face. Swap in a part from a donor handset and iOS sees a mismatch: the hardware powers up, the flood illuminator flashes, and the feature stays disabled behind the same "Face ID is not available" line. Nothing in software resets that link, and no menu option re-registers a foreign sensor. That is why a donor unit from a working handset is a dead end — the pairing is one-to-one, and the only route is to restore the original components the device shipped with.
We restore the original unit by repairing its flex, the dot projector or the connector on the logic board, and we work on that circuitry under a microscope. The flex carries the flood illuminator and the infrared camera, and a hairline tear near the fold is what kills the signal in most cases we see. The dot emitter throws roughly 30,000 infrared dots to map your face, and a cracked lens or a shifted element scatters that grid until the match fails. A damaged connector gets reflowed or replaced while the board sits under magnification. A cracked dot projector and a torn ribbon look identical on the lock screen but need different tools — that is why the free check comes first and the quote follows the diagnosis, not the other way round.
The same warning on the display can come from four very different histories — a drop, a splash, a previous screen swap or a repair done elsewhere. The table below is how we narrow it down before touching a screwdriver.
| Symptom on screen | Likely faulty node | What we do |
|---|---|---|
| Problem detected with Face ID, front camera fine | Dot projector | Repair or realign the projector |
| Face ID unavailable, front camera dead | Top flex with sensors | Restore the flex and connector |
| Face ID works, screen stays on at the ear | Proximity sensor | Check and reseat the sensor |
| No Face ID after a splash | Oxidised flex or connector | Clean, then board-level check |
After liquid contact the TrueDepth flex and its connector oxidise, and on a water-damaged XS Max diagnostics can take up to two days before we know whether the module is recoverable. The infrared camera, dot projector and proximity sensor share one ribbon cable that runs under the top edge of the display, so moisture reaches all three through a single entry point. Our engineers clean the connector under a microscope and check the board traces before promising anything — corrosion hides under shields where a visual inspection alone proves nothing. Corrosion keeps spreading while the phone sits powered on, so switching it off and bringing it in the same day matters more than any single part you might choose later.
The XS Max uses an OLED display, and the sensors that make Face ID work sit on a flex bonded to the top of the assembly. Any screen job therefore touches the biometric system, planned or not.
When we replace an XS Max display, we transfer the original upper flex with its proximity sensor and TrueDepth connections onto the new panel, which is what keeps Face ID paired and working. That strip also carries the earpiece speaker, the ambient light detector and the flood illuminator wiring, so each part has to land in exactly the same position on the replacement. The transfer is done under magnification and without heat near the fold, because the material there is thinner than a fingernail. On our bench this single step takes longer than mounting the new glass itself. A strip peeled at the wrong angle tears at the fold, and that damage surfaces as a Face ID failure days later — so the transfer is the slowest, most careful step of a screen job, not an afterthought.
We offer both an original part and an aftermarket one, and 64% of our customers pick the original, which keeps True Tone and auto-brightness behaving as they did before the repair. An aftermarket unit can differ in frame thickness by a fraction of a millimetre, and that tolerance decides whether the upper strip sits flat or gets pinched once the glass is screwed down. Both options go through the same 32-function check afterwards, with Face ID, True Tone and the front camera tested side by side before you collect the phone. The choice does not change the pairing itself, but a poorly fitted aftermarket unit can press on that strip — so fitting quality matters more than the label on the box. Ask which component goes in and have it written on the receipt.
The repair itself is only part of the visit. What most people want to know is what happens between the first WhatsApp message and the moment the phone goes back in their pocket, and what they leave with.
An engineer replies on WhatsApp within 5 minutes and quotes from a photo, then the free 15-minute inspection in front of you confirms the faulty node before anything is opened. You watch the diagnostic run on your own device, so the verdict comes from the hardware rather than a guess over chat. This is how an iPhone XS Max Face ID repair in Astana moves from a photo to a confirmed plan. Decline the job and the inspection costs nothing. Once approved, the replacement component is shown in its factory packaging. The quote, the component, the turnaround and the warranty go onto the receipt in about two minutes, so the number you agreed to is the number you pay even if the job runs longer.
Face ID repair on this model comes down to a few hard rules about parts, symptoms and paperwork. Here is what matters most before you hand the phone over.
Did not find an answer? Message us on WhatsApp: an engineer replies, not a bot.
Ask a questionYes, the phone works as usual, but you unlock it with a passcode. Paying with your face and signing in to some apps may be unavailable. You need not rush, though if liquid is the cause, do not wait too long.
With original parts this is unlikely. With an aftermarket part, trouble after a major update is possible. So weigh how important face unlock is to you when you choose the part.
Bring the phone in for inspection. Often a torn or badly seated cable near the notch is to blame. If the damage is not too deep, the sensors can be brought back without replacing the whole module.
Sometimes yes. The projector is paired with a specific phone, so replacing it requires an extra procedure. The technician finds this out during inspection and tells you what the job involves.
Yes, once Face ID works you confirm payments with your face again. Your cards stay in Wallet as long as the passcode was not turned off. Try a small payment after pickup.
That is normal: after every restart iOS requires the passcode once before Face ID can be used. The same happens after several failed face scans. Only if Face ID never works after that is the TrueDepth system at fault.
Often yes, the engineer may ask you to reset and scan your face again so the sensors learn it from scratch. It takes a minute in Settings, Face ID & Passcode. You can also add an alternate appearance there.
Жұмыстан кейін баруға болатын жер керек еді. Мастер бірден қарап шықты. Кепілдік берді, бұл маңызды. Бөлшек қоймада бар екен, күтпедік. Нәтижесіне ризамын)
Искал сервис, где дадут гарантию и чек. Неделю лежал без дела, теперь Face ID отказал. Не пришлось стоять в очереди. Внутри оказалас: модуль Face ID. Вышло около 38 000, точнее не считал. Шлейф Face ID поменяли, всё ожило. Сейчас роботает без нареканий
Досым осы жерді ұсынды, сеніммен келдім. Экран сынып қалды, көрсетуге апардым. Нәтижесіне ризамын.
Позвонил по объявлению, приехал на следующий день. Проблема — не распознаёт лицо. Сейчас роботает без нареканий!!
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