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iPhone X Face ID Data: Does it Stay on Your Phone or Not?

Apple is reportedly giving developers some access to Face ID data so they can create new features for their apps.

Michael Kan
 & Michael Kan Principal Reporter

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Face ID data on iPhone X "never leaves the device," according to Apple. But under certain conditions, app developers will have access to that facial data, which can be "removed from the phone and stored on a developer's own servers," Reuters reports.

Developers will need to request permission from the iPhone X user to access Face ID data, which they can use to build entertainment features for their apps. Imagine an app that can overlay a 3D mask on top of your face, or a video game character that can mimic your facial movements.

Devs will have access to about 50 kinds of facial expressions, but not enough to unlock an iPhone X. App developers are banned from selling any of the information to third parties, according to Reuters, which saw a contract provided by Apple.

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In a Face ID security document released in September, Apple said "third-party apps can use system-provided APIs to ask the user to authenticate using Face ID or a passcode, and apps that support Touch ID automatically support Face ID without any changes.

"When using Face ID, the app is notified only as to whether the authentication was successful; it can't access Face ID or the data associated with the enrolled face," the document says.

"Apps can't access Face ID data associated with the enrolled face," according to a separate Apple support page detailing the technology.

About Our Expert

Michael Kan

Michael Kan

Principal Reporter

My Experience

I've been a journalist for over 15 years. I got my start as a schools and cities reporter in Kansas City and joined PCMag in 2017, where I cover satellite internet services, cybersecurity, PC hardware, and more. I'm currently based in San Francisco, but previously spent over five years in China, covering the country's technology sector.

Since 2020, I've covered the launch and explosive growth of SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet service, writing 600+ stories on availability and feature launches, but also the regulatory battles over the expansion of satellite constellations, fights with rival providers like AST SpaceMobile and Amazon, and the effort to expand into satellite-based mobile service. I've combed through FCC filings for the latest news and driven to remote corners of California to test Starlink's cellular service.

I also cover cyber threats, from ransomware gangs to the emergence of AI-based malware. In 2024 and 2025, the FTC forced Avast to pay consumers $16.5 million for secretly harvesting and selling their personal information to third-party clients, as revealed in my joint investigation with Motherboard.

I also cover the PC graphics card market. Pandemic-era shortages led me to camp out in front of a Best Buy to get an RTX 3000. I'm now following how the AI-driven memory shortage is impacting the entire consumer electronics market. I'm always eager to learn more, so please jump in the comments with feedback and send me tips.

The Best Tech I've Had:

  • My first video game console: a Nintendo Famicom
  • I loved my Sega Saturn despite PlayStation's popularity.
  • The iPod Video I received as a gift in college
  • Xbox 360 FTW
  • The Galaxy Nexus was the first smartphone I was proud to own.
  • The PC desktop I built in 2013, which still works to this day.

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