Ruby Tuesday Matthews said her iPhone Face ID stopped recognizing her early in her recovery after an endoscopic lift in Seoul, South Korea.
The Australian influencer documented the swelling she experienced after the procedure, including the moment she visited an Apple Store in her pajamas because her phone wouldn’t recognize her face.
Matthews’ account offers a look at the unexpected challenges she experienced while recovering from cosmetic surgery.
Matthews shared the details through Instagram updates, which People and other outlets later reported. Her recovery details come from her own posts, and Apple, Ilchi Plastic Surgery, and Dr. Moon Hyung Suk have not made a public statement about the Face ID issue or the medical details of her recovery.
According to reports, Matthews traveled from Byron Bay, Australia, to Seoul for the procedure on or around August 21, 2026. She underwent an endoscopic lift at Ilchi Plastic Surgery, where Dr. Moon Hyung Suk performed the procedure.
Matthews explained that she wanted a refreshed appearance while keeping her existing facial features.
Matthews’ Phone Stopped Recognizing Her After Surgery
The most widely reported moment from Matthews’ recovery was her claim that her iPhone could no longer recognize her face.
After the procedure, Matthews returned to her hotel to recover. The surgery reportedly lasted about four hours, and the following day she returned to have her drain and tape removed.
During that period, Matthews discovered that her iPhone Face ID was no longer working. In her Instagram updates, she described visiting an Apple Store in pajamas because she couldn’t access her phone through facial recognition.
“I literally had to go to the Apple Store in my pajamas looking like this and reboot my whole phone because there was no way it was recognizing my face,” Matthews said.
Facial recognition technology relies on identifying facial features, but no public information confirms that swelling from Matthews’ procedure caused the failure.
The Recovery Period Brought Unexpected Swelling
Matthews documented the days after surgery, including the physical changes she experienced while healing.
The influencer initially underestimated how much swelling would occur after the procedure. She later described the increase after the first day as much more dramatic than she expected.
“Day one post surgery and I stupidly thought this was as swollen as I was going to get. Little did I know I was about 24 hours away from inflating like a f***ing balloon,” she said.
By the third day, Matthews described the swelling as the most intense she had experienced. “My face has never been this swollen in my life,” she said.
She also described difficulty opening her mouth and explained that she slept sitting up during recovery.
Matthews clarified that the appearance shown during those early updates was not the final result.
“What you’re seeing now is swelling, not a new face,” she said.
No independent medical assessment confirms whether Matthews’ swelling was outside the expected recovery process for an endoscopic lift. No public confirmation also confirms any medical complication.
Influencer Ruby Tuesday Matthews shares gory results of her latest plastic surgery that left her so disfigured her iPhone couldn’t recognise her https://t.co/FN5hJdFQss
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— Daily Mail (@DailyMail) August 24, 2026
Matthews Wanted to Show the Process, Not Just the Result
The influencer chose to document the recovery stage rather than only share the outcome after healing.
Before the procedure, Matthews explained that she wasn’t trying to completely change her appearance.
“The goal was never to change the way I look. I wanted to keep my face and my features, just look a little more refreshed and awake, while addressing some of the volume loss through my face,” she said.
Matthews had considered eyelid surgery but decided, after consulting with her surgeon, that the endoscopic lift alone could achieve the result she wanted.
She also explained why she chose to share the experience publicly rather than wait until recovery was complete.
“I thought I might as well share this, because there’s no point pretending that I just woke up 10 years younger and not showing you this process,” Matthews said.
She Responded to Criticism Over the Procedure
Matthews addressed reactions to her decision by explaining that surgery was not about becoming someone else.
After receiving criticism from a follower, Matthews defended her decision to undergo the procedure. “I thought I was beautiful before and still do; I haven’t had surgery to change my face or become anyone else,” she said.
She also explained why openness mattered to her during recovery.
“I obviously didn’t have to share any of this. I could have disappeared for a few weeks and pretended nothing was ever done, but transparency with my community is important to me,” Matthews said.
Her comments focused on her personal choice to discuss the procedure and the recovery process with her audience.
Related: Kelly Ripa Steps Away From ‘Live’ as Gum Graft Surgery Leaves Her Unable to Speak
What Remains Unknown About Matthews’ Recovery
Several details about the procedure and its outcome have not been independently verified.
The available information comes from Matthews’ Instagram updates and reports based on those posts. Apple has not publicly commented on the Face ID issue, and Ilchi Plastic Surgery and Dr. Moon Hyung Suk have not issued a statement about the procedure or recovery.
The exact surgical details beyond the reported endoscopic lift have not been publicly provided. The final outcome is also unknown because Matthews shared these updates during the early stages of healing.
The confirmed details are limited to Matthews’ own account: she underwent cosmetic surgery in Seoul, experienced significant swelling during recovery, and encountered a temporary issue with her phone’s facial recognition feature.
For now, the story remains a documented look at one person’s experience between undergoing a cosmetic procedure and seeing the final result.
What would you do if your own phone stopped recognizing your face?
