A select number of early iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max adopters are reporting what appears to be a Face ID bug, causing the phone to crash and reboot.
On a Reddit thread, multiple users report the issue with causes a “panic restart” of their brand new smartphone which, for the first time, includes under display Face ID components.It appears that using Face ID to open a protected app may be the culprit of the issue.
The post’s original author updated to say Apple suspected a faulty unit and would be replacing it. However, it’s possible that’s a misdiagnosis. Others say replacement handsets have the same issue, leading to a suspicion it’s a software issue that Apple will likely patch soon. Other affected users specified issues with FaceTime calls caused the critical system crash.
9to5Mac points out that it’s possible to replicate the issue on an iPhone 18 Pro:
“To try and reproduce for yourself, on an 18 Pro, when the device presents a Face ID challenge, cover your face with your hand to simulate an authentication failure on the first try. Then, tap the “Try Face ID Again” button in the alert that appears. If you are afflicted by the bug, the phone will lock up and stop responding to all touch input. After a few seconds, the phone panics and reboots back to the lock screen.”
It can be quite common for devices to have teething problems shortly after release, while there have also been reports of a similar iOS 27 issue that causes reboots in more models beyond the newly-released handsets. Apple is yet to officially comment on the reports. We may see it addressed in a future software patch rather than the company making an active admission something is awry.
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