Apple’s latest flagship smartphones have hit an early roadblock. Just days after going on sale alongside the company’s first book-style foldable, the iPhone Duo, owners of the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max have reported a frustrating software bug causing their devices to freeze and unexpectedly restart following failed Face ID authentication attempts.
What is Happening?
The issue first surfaced shortly after the devices launched in September 2026. According to user reports, when Face ID fails to recognize a user (such as in low light or at an awkward angle), the phone becomes completely unresponsive for a few seconds before automatically rebooting.
Impacted users have noted that system crash data is being recorded as a system-level panic log found under the iPhone Analytics section in the Settings app, confirming that the crashes are triggering hard software resets.
Is the New Under-Display Face ID to Blame?
The iPhone 18 Pro series introduced a major hardware redesign, featuring a smaller Dynamic Island capable of displaying three Live Activities simultaneously. To accommodate this, Apple relocated the Face ID sensor hardware from the visible cutout to a new under-display position in the top-left corner of the screen.
While this shift initially led to speculation that the hardware change might be the root cause, industry reports indicate that the glitch is strictly software-related rather than a structural flaw in the new sensor layout.
Apple’s Response and Expected Fix
Apple has acknowledged the issue internally and is reportedly preparing a dedicated iOS 27 software update to deploy a permanent fix. The update is expected to roll out to affected users as early as next week.
Until the patch drops, users experiencing the issue are advised to rely on their device passcode if Face ID fails repeatedly to minimize sudden system reboots.
