The Apple Face ID meme became a cultural staple following the 2017 release of the iPhone X, which introduced facial recognition as the primary unlocking method. The humor typically centers on the technology's struggle to identify users in less-than-ideal conditions, such as when they first wake up, wear a face mask, or look tired. It captures the relatable frustration of having to enter a passcode manually when the futuristic biometric sensor fails. Over time, the template has evolved to represent any situation where someone is being judged or rejected based on their physical appearance, often using the iconic padlock animation or the face-scanning grid as a visual anchor.