Windows 20H2 update seems to have broken Windows Hello Face Recognition

Anonymous
2020-10-27T22:00:14+00:00

With the recent update to Windows 20H2 (version 19042.572), the Windows Hello no longer works with the Logitech BRIO 4K camera. I have uninstalled and reinstalled the drivers, disabled and re-enabled Windows Hello. The BRIO works fine with Teams, Skype, Windows Camera, Logitech Capture, and Logitech Camera Settings. The problem ONLY occurs with Windows Hello. It had worked fine for years prior to the 20H2 update.

Also, Windows Hello works fine with the fine with PIN and with my fingerprint scanner. Only facial recognition is now broken.

So BRIO works with apps other than Hello and Hello works fine with everything but facial recognition via the BRIO 4K, but the combination of BRIO + Windows Hello broke with the latest Windows update.

Is this working for anyone with the same configuration?

The error message Windows Hello gives is, "Sorry something went wrong. Camera is currently in use by another app. Close the app and try again." But nothing else is using the camera (proven by the fact that all the apps listed above will launch and use the camera just fine).

One other note, which may be helpful diagnostically: when Hello is trying to scan for my face, the red light on the BRIO does flash for several seconds as if it's working, but no picture ever comes through. There is obviously at least some successful communication between Hello and the BRIO.

I also tried plugging the BRIO both directly into different USB ports on the computer and into various hubs. Always got exactly the same results.

Any suggestions? Do we need to wait for a patch from MS to fix this defect in 20H2?

Thanks,

Colin

Windows for home | Windows 10 | Windows Hello, lock screen and sign-in

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  1. Anonymous
    2021-06-15T10:24:19+00:00

    I have seen a possible solution on the net which involves entering services and starting Set Personify Frame Transformer .

    Unfortunately I cannot find this in Services. Anybody know where it is please?

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  2. Anonymous
    2021-06-17T10:02:14+00:00

    Downloaded something called Chromacam and the Set Personify Frame Transformer now appears in services and it is switched on. But guess what. Windows Hello still doesn't  work!

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  3. Anonymous
    2021-06-27T15:30:24+00:00

    It looks like Microsoft is at last fixing the Brio (more generically, second webcam) problem: https://www.theverge.com/2021/2/18/22288937/microsoft-windows-10-next-version-21h1-update-remote-work-features

    Davide74400, I don't think that will help those of us who had a working system that Microsoft broke with the 20H2 update. In my case, the BRIO 4K is on my desktop computer's monitor and it worked fine for years until the update. In fact, in testing things, I had tried hooking that camera up to my HP Spectre x360, which also supports Hello Facial Recognition with a built-in Hello camera, and it worked there as the second Hello camera installed (which makes it harder for me to fully blame MS for this -- it obviously does work in some cases). So the problem that article describes they're addressing is a problem I wasn't able to reproduce and the problem I do have (no Hello via Facial Recognition with BRIO 4k on my desktop) is apparently not acknowledged as an issue, even though there are obviously plenty of us who have this particular issue.

    Logitech has been offensively useless and unconcerned about this problem with their camera too. Because it's their camera, I actually think Logitech's behavior is worse the MS -- MS can only do so much to support all the hardware that's out there. Ultimately, the device makers need to take the initiative to fix these problems and communicate what's going on.

    You were right, GraniteStateColin, the Windows 10 21H1 update did not fix the problem.  The default to external webcam made it easier to operate certain applications without disabling integrated webcams on my laptop but did not solve the problem of Windows Hello Facial Recognition not operating as a sign-in option.

    After spending a lot of time with both Logitech support (not much use at all) and Microsoft support (better than Logitech but ultimately not offering much insight) I managed to make progress with Dell's support (great job - wish I had started here) and have a diagnosis of the problem (at least for me with a Dell XPS 17) and a work around.

    Problem seems to be that when you you try and run Windows Hello Facial Recognition, one of the requirements is that the laptop lid is open regardless of whether the Hello webcam you are trying to use is external, rather than integrated where this requirement would make sense (ie because no point use integrated camera with lid closed).  This is despite the 21H1 support for external webcams which is supposed to prioritise an external webcam over an integrated one.  If the lid is not open then Windows Hello does not give Facial Recognition as an option.  I use my laptop with lid closed and turn it on and off from the power button on the dock.  I don't know if this is Dell-specific or more generic but I had similar symptoms to others in this thread.

    Work around is that there is an option in BIOS under Power Settings to disable the laptop lid switch.  With this option, selected Windows Hello Facial Recognition works fine with the lid closed.  The reason I see this as work around and not a fix is that the laptop does not sleep when you shut it, which is annoying when using the device open as a laptop rather than just closed in the docking station.  Presumably Microsoft will fix this is in due course unless it is a Dell-specific situation.

    One helpful thing to note was that when Windows tries to use Facial Recognition for other purposes other than to sign in (the example Dell tried with me was turning off all security in settings which requires a Hello sign in to verify) then Facial Recognition worked fine before the BIOS work around.  So the lid closed problem seems to be related to the specific way Facial Recognition works for signing in.  And the Facial Recognition works fine for me with the laptop open even with the BIOS set to enable the laptop lid switch.

    Hope this works for others as well.

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  4. Anonymous
    2021-07-03T01:56:39+00:00

    Just a follow up from someone struggling with something similar.
    I have a Brio 4k that I'd plugged into my USB 3.1 (2015-era) port that had triggered this 'camera in use by another application' issue. I ended up moving it over to a USB 3.0 port and now everything works perfectly.

    Thanks to @mjmcg 's post from April!

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  5. Anonymous
    2021-09-07T04:56:33+00:00

    Logitech Brio with the latest firmware update (2.7) and all latest Logitech/Brio software does not work for Windows Hello face recognition on a Surface Book 3 Business.

    The external Brio is correctly identified as the correct camera to turn on for Hello sign in, I see the red (infrared) LED coming on-blinking but it never signs in.

    When I try to use Brio for setting up face recognition, it shows me but not the square marking your face is missing, and it does not work. The same happens if I set it up using the built-in camera, and then try to use the Brio for improving face recognition.

    Who would have thought two global companies, Microsoft and Logitech, with all the engineers and resources they have, cannot figure out a way to make a webcam work properly, in 10 months? It seems obvious to me that neither one cares (i.e., it's not a priority to fix it), as the numbers of Brios out may be limited due to its price.

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