Face ID on the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max is giving some early buyers a rough experience, with reports of failed authentication, frozen screens, and unexpected restarts. Apple has confirmed that a software fix is coming soon.
The most serious problem appears when Face ID fails while authenticating inside a protected app. Users have reported problems with apps such as Passwords and locked Safari tabs. After authentication fails and the user tries Face ID again, the iPhone can stop responding before restarting itself.
Face ID problems go beyond random restarts
Some iPhone 18 Pro owners have also reported receiving a “Face ID is Not Available” message during setup, while others say Face ID does not consistently recognize them. Reports also suggest that the “Require Attention for Face ID” setting does not always behave as expected. However, the problems do not appear to affect every iPhone 18 Pro.
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Apple redesigned the Dynamic Island on the iPhone 18 Pro series and made it smaller. Apple confirms that Face ID remains part of the redesigned system, while teardowns show that the infrared camera has moved beneath the display. It remains unclear whether this hardware change contributes to the current problems.
iOS 27.0.1 may finally fix Face ID
Apple has confirmed that a software update addressing the Face ID-related restart problem should arrive early next week. Meanwhile, iOS 27.0.1 has already appeared in web analytics, making it the likely update for the fix, although Apple has not confirmed the version number.
That should provide some relief for affected iPhone 18 Pro owners, especially since Apple’s confirmation points to a software solution rather than requiring users to replace their phones.
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