Apple pushed out iOS 27.0.1 on Monday, September 28, exactly two weeks after iOS 27 went public on September 14. There are no new features in it. What there is, finally, is a fix for the Face ID bug that has been freezing and restarting iPhone 18 Pro units since launch day.
The Face ID bug that kept rebooting phones
Since the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max started shipping on September 18, owners have been reporting the same unnerving sequence on Reddit and the MacRumors forums: Face ID fails to authenticate, for example when unlocking a locked app or opening Wallet, the phone freezes completely, and then it reboots itself to protect the system. 9to5Mac was able to reproduce the problem on its own iPhone 18 Pro.
Other owners ran into a “Face ID is Not Available” message when trying to set up facial recognition for the first time, and some had trouble with the Require Attention for Face ID setting. Last week Apple said the problem could be addressed through a software update, which calmed the bigger fear: that the brand-new Face ID hardware was at fault. Some affected users had even been advised to get replacement units. iOS 27.0.1 confirms it was software all along.
Why this bug hit the iPhone 18 Pro first
The 18 Pro line is the first iPhone to put the infrared camera for Face ID directly under the display, instead of in the Dynamic Island cutout. The Dynamic Island itself is about 25 percent smaller this generation, one of the most visible design changes at launch, but it makes biometric unlocking technically harder to get right. Apple has not said the hardware caused the failures, and with a software fix now shipping, it never has to. That is good news for anyone who bought at launch and worried their unit was defective.
What the release notes actually fix
Apple’s notes for the update are short and unusually specific:
- iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max may unexpectedly restart when Face ID fails to authenticate
- A color artifact may appear on photos captured at 2x under certain lighting conditions at f/1.48 on a small number of iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max devices
- Opening Notification Center and Control Center simultaneously may cause the touchscreen to become unresponsive
Only the last item applies to every iPhone that runs iOS 27. The other two are specific to the 18 Pro line, and the 2x camera artifact affects only a small number of units. Apple’s notes do not claim anything beyond these three fixes.
What 27.0.1 does not fix
Read the notes closely and one gap stands out. They cover the unexpected restart that follows a failed Face ID attempt, but they do not explicitly mention the “Face ID is Not Available” setup failures or the Require Attention glitches that other owners reported. If your issue is that Face ID never completed setup in the first place, install the update, but do not be surprised if you still need a trip to Apple support. Apple also is not claiming every reported iPhone 18 Pro quirk is resolved, just the three listed above.
The rest of the update stack
Monday’s release was a package deal. Apple also shipped iPadOS 27.0.1 and visionOS 27.0.1, plus iOS and iPadOS 26.7.1 for devices that stayed on the older major version, and a round of macOS security updates covering 27.0.1, 26.7.1 and 15.8.1. Last week, watchOS 27.0.1 addressed a random reboot bug on the new Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4. It has been a busy month for Apple’s software quality team.
How to install iOS 27.0.1
Open Settings, tap General, then Software Update. The update is available for every iPhone that can run iOS 27, not just the 18 Pro. Give it about ten minutes on Wi-Fi with a charger nearby, and check that Face ID is working in a locked app afterward. If it is, you are done.
Curious where iOS goes next? We have a full breakdown of every new feature and hidden change found in the iOS 27.2 beta. And if you are still deciding between Apple’s new phones, our iPhone Duo vs iPhone 18 Pro Max comparison breaks down the $700 gap.
