This guide is for individuals going through a Persona-powered identity verification flow. While we’ve included helpful tips, the verification was set up by the business, service, or organization that asked you to verify. They use Persona as a tool, and they ultimately decide what’s required and can assist with your specific situation, if you’re having trouble.
Why a step repeats
When a step sends you back to the start of itself, the verification flow did not get something it could use, so it is asking again. It is not counting your attempts against you and it is not stuck in the sense of being broken.
The catch is that repeating the attempt in exactly the same conditions tends to produce exactly the same outcome. Breaking the loop means changing the input, not the number of tries.
Change one thing at a time
Changing several things at once tells you nothing about which one mattered. Work down this list, one change per attempt:
- Move to different light. Go near a window in daylight, or turn on more room lights. Do not stand with a bright light behind you.
- Change the surface. Put the document on a matte, dark, non reflective surface instead of a glossy table or your lap.
- Wipe the camera lens. A smudge from your pocket softens every photo you take and is invisible on a small preview.
- Get closer, then straighten up. Fill the frame with the document, keep all four corners inside it, and hold the phone parallel to the document rather than at an angle.
- Steady yourself. Rest your elbows on a table, or set the document down and move only the phone. Wait for the preview to sharpen before you capture.
- Take off the phone case, and take the ID out of any wallet, sleeve, or plastic holder.
How to take a photo the scan can read goes through each of these in more detail.
If nothing you change makes a difference
Switch what you are working with rather than how:
- Try a different document you hold, if the flow offers more than one option.
- Try a different device. A phone camera is usually better than a laptop camera for documents. See Device handoff: continue verification on another device.
- Check the document itself for wear. A cracked laminate, a worn barcode, or a faded photo can hold up a scan no matter how good the conditions are. See My ID or passport is damaged.
When to stop and ask
If you have changed the light, the surface, the framing, and the device and the step still repeats, more attempts are unlikely to help. Contact the business that asked you to verify, tell them which step repeats and what you have already tried, and ask what other options they accept. They can see your attempts and decide how you can proceed.