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Apple's iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max face early Face ID complaints after reaching customers worldwide on September 18. Several owners report failed authentication when opening protected apps, followed by frozen screens and automatic reboots.
The issue mainly appears during biometric checks inside protected apps rather than normal phone unlocking. 9to5Mac reproduced the problem on at least one European iPhone 18 Pro, while other reports appeared across Reddit and Apple forums.
The reported iPhone 18 Pro Face ID bug can appear after an unsuccessful scan and another authentication attempt. The display may stop responding before the phone restarts and returns to the lock screen. Passwords, private Safari tabs, and other Face ID-protected apps appear among reported triggers. The problem does not affect every device, and its overall scale remains unclear.
MacRumors also found separate Face ID complaints among iPhone 18 Pro owners. Some users reportedly see a ‘Face ID is Not Available’ message during setup. Others say the phone sometimes ignores the ‘Require Attention for Face ID’ setting. These reports indicate several Face ID issues may affect the new Pro models.
A redesigned Face ID system adds another angle to the reports. Apple moved the infrared camera beneath the display on both Pro models. The change helps reduce the Dynamic Island footprint, but its connection remains unconfirmed. Current reports increasingly point toward an iOS 27 software interaction rather than a confirmed hardware defect.
An affected Reddit user reportedly received a hardware replacement recommendation after contacting Apple Support. 9to5Mac questioned whether hardware replacement addresses the underlying problem and expects software correction instead. Macworld also reported a user describing repeated panic restarts linked to Face ID authentication.
Apple has not publicly confirmed the specific Face ID issue or announced a dedicated service program. A future iOS 27 update could address the software behavior, although Apple has not provided a release timeline. Until then, affected owners can use passcodes after failed Face ID attempts and install available updates.
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