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 the capture stalls
The selfie step waits for your face to appear clearly. It usually stalls when:
- The camera feed is not reaching the page (permission, or another app holding the camera).
- The light is too dim, or it is directly behind you and your face is in shadow.
- The camera cannot focus, or the preview stays blurry.
- Nothing has moved into the frame yet, and the step is still waiting.
What to try
- Confirm the camera is allowed and reachable. See camera turned off by the browser.
- Face a light source so your face is lit evenly, without glare.
- Wipe the lens. A smudge from your pocket is a common cause of a preview that will not sharpen.
- Hold still inside the frame and give it a couple of seconds.
- Watch what the screen tells you and do that. The on-screen tips are the step telling you what it is waiting for; see what the tips on screen mean.
Keep going
Do not give up after one or two goes. A selfie step often takes a few attempts, and that is normal rather than a sign it has decided something about you.
Change one thing each time rather than repeating the same attempt: turn to face a window, move away from a lamp behind you, step in front of a plain wall, hold the phone a little further back, refresh the page, or switch to a different device. Working through the on-screen tips one at a time is usually what gets it through.
If it still will not go
If you have changed the light, the background, the distance and the device and it still will not capture, contact the business that asked you to verify. Tell them which step it is and what the screen says. They set this verification flow up, so they are the ones who can offer another way through it.
See the selfie step keeps asking me to try again if the photo is taken but you are sent back round, and low-light photos for lighting.