Product3 publishers2 min readPublished
Apple's iOS 27.0.1 lists a fix for one of three Face ID complaints from iPhone 18 Pro owners
Apple's iOS 27.0.1 stops the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max restarting when Face ID fails, two weeks after iOS 27 shipped. The notes do not mention the setup error or the Require Attention trouble owners also reported, so those owners will only find out by installing it.
The Product Desk · Product desk
What happened
- Apple also lists a fix for a color artifact on photos shot at 2x at f/1.48 in certain lighting, affecting a small number of iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max units.
- The iPhone 18 Pro is the first with its infrared camera under the display, and MacRumors says it is unclear whether that hardware is behind the Face ID problems.
- iPadOS 27.0.1 shipped alongside it with release notes that say only that the update provides bug fixes for your iPad.
Compiled by The Product DeskSomething wrong?How this is made
Why it matters
- decision Face ID stops being one ticket type on the 18 Pro. Reboot reports have a listed fix to retest against, while setup and Require Attention reports can only hope for an unlisted one.
- constraint On every iPhone other than the 18 Pro, the documented case for pushing 27.0.1 quickly comes down to one touchscreen bug that only appears when both panels are opened at once.
- exposure Apple has said software would handle the Face ID bugs. If faults persist after 27.0.1, Apple is left defending that claim while a hardware cause remains possible.
An iPhone 18 Pro owner tries to open a locked app with Face ID. The scan fails, and in some cases the phone freezes and then reboots, according to complaints MacRumors collected [7]. Apple wrote its release note about the second half of that moment. It says the 18 Pro and Pro Max "may unexpectedly restart when Face ID fails to authenticate" [2]. Read literally, the fix covers the reboot after a failed scan.
The notes open with "This update provides bug fixes for your iPhone" [12]. Three items follow, and two of them apply only to the 18 Pro and Pro Max [1]. 9to5Mac expects older iPhones to get other, unmentioned fixes as well, because Apple's notes are not typically comprehensive [6]. Apple's list stops at three [12].
Here's what users actually do: they report a symptom. On the 18 Pro, the Face ID complaints MacRumors collected come in three forms, and only the reboot has a matching line in the notes [7][8][2]. Here's what teams tell themselves: the Face ID fix shipped, so the Face ID tickets can close. Both reports describe individual owners, and neither mentions managed fleets [7].
Two questions sort the queue. Is the phone an 18 Pro or Pro Max, and does the complaint match a line in the notes? An 18 Pro with a matched complaint, the reboot or the 2x color artifact, gets the update and a retest before its ticket closes [2][3]. An 18 Pro with an unmatched complaint, the setup message or the Require Attention trouble, gets the update and stays open until the owner confirms the fault is gone [8]. If those faults outlast 27.0.1, MacRumors' open question about the under-display infrared camera gets harder to set aside [9].
Any other iPhone with the touchscreen freeze gets the update, because that bug is the only listed fix that reaches every model [4][5]. The remaining phones have no listed reason to hurry. I'd keep that group on the normal update schedule. The tradeoff is putting up with the Notification Center and Control Center freeze until the normal cycle reaches those phones, and going without whatever unlisted fixes 9to5Mac expects for the same stretch [4][6].
What to watch
- Whether iPhone 18 Pro owners still report the Face ID is Not Available setup message or Require Attention problems after installing 27.0.1.
- Whether Apple ships a further update or support note that names the setup and Require Attention faults, or addresses the under-display infrared camera.
- Whether the unlisted fixes 9to5Mac expects for older iPhones show up in owner reports or in later Apple notes.