Some early iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max owners report Face ID problems that can cause the device to freeze and reboot to the lock screen after authentication fails. Reports also describe situations where Face ID does not work for specific protected actions, such as unlocking a locked app.
The issues appear to be present in the shipping software release of iOS 27, according to coverage that points to user reports from forums and Reddit. One recurring theme across outlets is that the problem seems inconsistent—some users are affected while others are not—so the overall scope is unclear. Another set of reports mentions additional Face ID setup or behavior issues, including a “Face ID is Not Available” message during setup and cases where the device may not follow the “Require Attention for Face ID” setting when enabled.
Apple has redesigned the Face ID hardware on iPhone 18 Pro models by moving the infrared camera behind the display near the top-left corner to accommodate a smaller Dynamic Island. While it is unclear whether that hardware change is linked to the reported bugs, outlets say Apple is likely to address the problem in a future iOS 27 update.
