Apple plans update for iPhone 18 Pro Face ID restarts

Apple says it plans to release a software update early next week to address unexpected iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max restarts that can follow failed Face ID attempts. The company’s statement, relayed to 9to5Mac, identifies software as the target for the fix, but Apple has not publicly detailed the cause or confirmed how many devices are affected. Reports describe some phones freezing and becoming unresponsive before restarting when Face ID fails during an attempt to open an app protected by facial recognition. In a test reported by 9to5Mac, deliberately obscuring the user’s face while trying to open Apple’s Passwords app triggered a freeze followed by a restart on an iPhone 18 Pro. The device’s analytics showed a system panic log, according to the account. Other reports describe similar incidents, but the reproduced test traces to that single reported test rather than multiple independent tests. The problem does not appear to affect every iPhone 18 Pro or Pro Max, and available reports do not establish its prevalence. The precise circumstances that trigger a restart also remain unclear.