iPhone 18 Pro users have a new problem: Face ID fails, phones reboot unexpectedly

Apple’s latest iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max have begun reaching customers, but several early adopters are reportedly facing problems with one of the devices’ key security features. Face ID authentication is not working consistently for a few users, with reports suggesting that the issue can appear during specific actions on the device.

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In some cases, attempting to use Face ID can cause the iPhone to freeze before eventually rebooting to the lock screen. The extent of the problem remains unclear, and the issue does not appear to be affecting every iPhone 18 Pro user. However, multiple reports point to different Face ID-related problems on Apple’s latest Pro models.

Face ID reportedly fails during certain actions

The Face ID problem does not appear to be limited to a single situation. As cited by MacRumors, a Reddit user, whose post was spotted by 9to5Mac, said the authentication feature can fail while trying to unlock an app. In such cases, the iPhone 18 Pro may become unresponsive and then restart, taking the user back to the lock screen.

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Similar complaints have surfaced on the MacRumors forum. Some iPhone 18 Pro users said they encountered a “Face ID is Not Available” alert while setting up the feature. Others have noticed that the phone does not consistently follow the “Require Attention for Face ID” option even when the setting is switched on.

Face ID gets a hardware change

Reports suggest Apple has changed the Face ID hardware on its latest Pro models. The infrared camera has been placed beneath the display towards the top-left corner, a move that helps Apple make the Dynamic Island smaller.

Whether this hardware redesign has anything to do with the reported authentication problems is still unclear. The issues could also be software-related, and MacRumors notes that Apple could address Face ID bugs in a future iOS 27 update.

For users experiencing the problem, there is currently no indication that it affects every iPhone 18 Pro or iPhone 18 Pro Max. The complaints so far come from a limited number of users, so the wider extent of the issue remains unclear.