Cant securely login to your PC using facial recognition anymore? New Windows 11 update patch is likely to blame if you can install the update at all

Date:
Mon, 14 Apr 2025 13:46:21 +0000

Description:
Windows 11s new update is breaking facial recognition logins with Windows Hello, and also simply failing to install.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Windows 11 24H2s April patch is causing some odd bugs There are multiple problems
with Windows Hello logins The update is also completely failing to install
for some people

Windows 11 24H2s latest patch is causing some trouble with failures to
install (once again) and also Windows Hello is ending up broken in some
cases.

Lets start with the bug in Windows Hello, which is the feature that allows
for secure logins to your PC (via facial recognition using a webcam , or
other methods besides).

Windows Latest reports that some users have found that the cumulative update for April 2025 (known as KB5055523) is affecting those who use Windows Hello for facial recognition with a privacy shutter over the webcam.

How does a facial login even work with a privacy shutter obscuring the
camera? Well, it works just fine because the tech leverages an infrared
sensor on the camera which can function through a physical shutter (a plastic slider that more privacy conscious folks use to rule out any danger of them being spied on through the webcam).

The problem is that the April update appears to mess with the infrared sensor so login no longer works unless you open that privacy shutter which is
hardly ideal.

Windows Latest found the issue present on an HP Spectre laptop, also highlighting a report from a Windows 11 user who has been affected by this
bug and tells us: Ive reproduced the issue several times, with several clean installs. The webcam were using is the Logitech Brio 4k, with the latest firmware and drivers, which is compatible with Windows Hello.

There are other reports on Reddit, too, such as this one : Just wanted to see if anyone else is experiencing issues with Windows Hello face recognition since the latest update (KB5055523). Before, I had the camera (Brio 4K) covered and it would work fine. Now, I have to remove the privacy cover for
it to recognize me. It doesnt seem to be able to unlock with the infrared camera alone now.

There are a number of replies from folks echoing that they have the same bug affecting their logins. The only solution is seemingly to uninstall the April update (which strongly suggests this is a problem caused by this latest patch from Microsoft).

That said, Windows Latest does offer a possible solution, which is achieved
by heading into Device Manager (just type that in the Windows search box, and click on it). In there, you need to click on the little arrow next to where
it says Cameras and then you might see two cameras listed the IR
(infrared) camera and RGB/color (normal) camera. Right click on the latter
and disable it, but leave the infrared camera on. Now, if you go and set up Windows Hello again, it may work correctly.

Windows Latest doesnt guarantee this, though, and says this will only do the trick for some Windows 11 users. If youre desperate for a fix, you can give this a whirl, as you could be waiting a while for the official solution from Microsoft. Just dont forget that you will, of course, have to reenable the main (RGB) camera after any fix is applied.

Interestingly, in the official patch notes for the April update, Microsoft does flag a problem with Windows Hello but not this one. Rather, this is a separate issue, albeit one that shouldnt affect those running Windows 11
Home.

Microsoft explains: Were aware of an edge case of Windows Hello issue affecting devices with specific security features enabled Users might
observe a Windows Hello Message saying Something happened and your PIN isn't available. Click to set up your PIN again or Sorry something went wrong with face setup.

Microsoft provides instructions on what to do if you encounter this
particular problem via its April patch notes (under known issues).

However, this bug only affects those using System Guard Secure Launch (or Dynamic Root of Trust for Measurement), which is only supported on Windows 11 Pro (or enterprise editions). So as noted, if youre on Windows 11 Home, you shouldnt run into this hiccup. (Image credit: Shutterstock / Khosro) Installation blues

Windows Latest also picked up a second major problem, namely installation failures (which are nothing new). These seem to be happening again with the April 2025 update, with the usual meaningless error messages accompanying an unsuccessful attempt (hexadecimal stop errors such as 0x80070306).

The tech site notes that it has verified reports of the update failing to install in this way, or its progress getting stuck at either 20% or 70% in some cases, never actually completing. Windows Latest informs us that Microsoft is seemingly investigating these installation failures.

There are other reports of this kind of problem on Microsofts Answers.com
help forum (and some possible suggestions of solutions from a customer
service rep, some of which have reportedly worked for some, but not for others). In the case of the original poster of this thread , the update was repeatedly failing to install and showing as pending restart which is an odd twist in the tale.

Overall, then, theres some degree of weirdness going on here, as the Windows Hello failures are rather odd, as are some of these installation glitches. Am I surprised at that, though? No, because Windows 11 24H2 has produced some very off-the-wall bugs ( and general bizarreness besides ) since it first
came into being late last year.

If youre in the mood for some highlights of the more extreme oddities that have been inflicted on us by version 24H2, read on (Image credit: Microsoft)
3 of the weirdest Windows 11 bugs

1. Language swap goes completely off the rails

Some of the most peculiar bugs Ive ever seen have surfaced in Windows 11, and particularly in the 24H2 update.

One of my favorites if thats the right word (it probably isnt if you were affected by this problem) is the spanner in the works somewhere deep in Windows 11 that caused the operating system to be displayed as a mix of two different languages . This happened when some users changed the language in Windows 11 from one choice to another, after which a good deal of the operating systems menus and text remained in the original language.
Confusing? No doubt. How did it even happen? I havent got a clue.

2. Baffling deletion of Copilot

Last month, Microsoft managed a real doozy by allowing a bug through that actually ditched Copilot . Yes, in a time where the software giant is trying desperately to promote its AI assistant and rally support, last months patch uninstalled the Copilot app for some Windows 11 users. That was highly embarrassing for Microsoft, especially as some folks felt it was the first Windows bug they were pleased to be hit with.

3. See more or less of File Explorer

A really memorable one for me was late last year when Windows 11 24H2 was beset by a problem whereby a menu in File Explorer (the folders on your desktop) flew off the top of the screen . Yes, the See more menu offering
more options to interact with files went past the border of the screen, so most of it wasnt visible you saw less of it, ironically. And that meant you couldnt use those non-visible options.

Again, how did Microsoft break a major part of the Windows 11 interface in such a fundamentally crude way? Your guess is as good as mine, but I suspect the transition to a new underlying platform for Windows 11 24H2 had something to do with it. (This bug has only just been fixed, by the way, and that happened with this most recent April update ). You may also like... Microsoft is digging its own grave with Windows 11, and it has to stop Windows 11 is getting a very handy change to the taskbar, as Microsoft takes a leaf from Apples Mac playbook Microsoft looks to be making a big change to how you install and log in to Windows 11 and Im not happy about it at all



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/computing/windows/cant-securely-login-to-your-pc-usi ng-facial-recognition-anymore-new-windows-11-update-patch-is-likely-to-blame-i f-you-can-install-the-update-at-all


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