When trying to verify with World ID at an Orb, you may sometimes see this message in your World App:

“World ID verification was not successful.”

This can feel confusing or frustrating, so here’s what you need to know — and what you can do about it.

Note: For questions about age verification, please follow the link to this article instead How do I confirm my date of birth?

Why does verification fail?

There are two main reasons why verification may not succeed:

1. You may have already verified before
   World ID ensures each person can only sign up once. If the system detects that you have already created a World ID (even with a different phone, account, or email), it won’t allow another verification.
2. The system made a rare error
   In very rare cases, the system may mistakenly reject someone who has never signed up before. To learn more, please visit this blog post: https://world.org/blog/engineering/biometric-performance-billion-person-scale

Troubleshooting

If you see “World ID verification was not successful,” try the following:

1. Retry verification
   • Wait a moment and try again.
   • Most users who face this error succeed after 1–2 retries.
      
2. Check your scan quality
   • Open your eyes as wide as possible during the scan.
   • Avoid blinking right as the Orb captures your iris.
   • If you’re at an Orb with staff present, they may remind you to adjust your eye position.
      
3. Think about past verifications
   • Did you get World ID verification at an Orb before? (even with another account or phone)?
   • If yes, you won’t be able to get verified again by an Orb.
      
4. If retries don’t work
   • You may have hit a rare false rejection. This doesn’t mean you’re permanently blocked. In many cases, another attempt on a different day may succeed.
   • Keep an eye out in the app or our official channels: If repeated retries fail, you may see an option to contact Support for further help. Alternatively, you can ask for assistance through our dedicated support channels found here: How can I connect with World on Social Media.  

Important things to know

• Your biometric data stays private.
  World ID uses privacy-preserving technology. Your iris code cannot be traced back to you personally.
• We cannot disclose individual verification status.
  For legal and privacy reasons, we cannot confirm whether your rejection was due to a duplicate or an error. The only information available is what you see in-app.
• System accuracy is high, but not perfect.
  Our team is continuously improving the system to reduce this even further. 

In short: Most verification failures mean you’ve already been World ID verified at an Orb. In rare cases, it could be a one-off error. Retrying once or twice usually helps.

Translations may differ slightly from the original English content. For the most accurate information, please refer to the article's English version if any discrepancies occur.