ZDNET’s key takeaways
- Apple has released its first update to iOS 27.
- The update fixes a bug that causes the 18 Pro and Pro Max to restart.
- A bug-fixing update is also available for the iPad, Mac, and Vision Pro.
Apple has released its first update to iOS 27 to fix an intermittent but annoying problem that could cause the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max to freeze or restart without warning. Released Monday, iOS 27.0.1 promises to resolve this freeze and restart issue, which typically occurs when Face ID fails to authenticate.
As an iPhone 18 Pro owner, I’ve run into this hiccup a couple of times already. One time, my iPhone froze for several seconds but eventually recovered. Another time, though, the device completely restarted. Both times, I was trying to authenticate an app sign-in via Face ID. I’ve since installed the update, hoping that it will put the kibosh on this problem.
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To update your iPhone, head to Settings, select General, and then tap Software Update. When iOS 27.0.1 pops up, tap the button to update now. Restart your phone after the update has been applied, and you should be good to go.
Beyond the Face ID glitch, the new update also resolves a specific glitch in which a color artifact would appear on photos taken at 2x under certain lighting conditions at f/1.48. In its release notes, Apple said that this one occurred on a small number of 18 Pro and Pro Max phones.
There’s another specified bug fix, but this one applies to more than just the two new 18 Pro models. Here, Apple said that opening the Notification Center and Control Center simultaneously may cause the screen to become unresponsive. This means that iOS 27.0.1 is available for all iPhones running iOS 27.
Further, the iPad, Mac, and Vision Pro have also received their first updates. With the new version 27.0.1 for iPadOS, MacOS, and VisionOS, Apple simply said that the updates provide bug fixes but didn’t specify what they fixed.
On its latest security release page, Apple didn’t reveal any security patches installed via the latest updates, so this seems to be a regular bug-fixing update. The company simply confirmed that the update is aimed at the iPhone 11 and later, the iPad Pro 12.9-inch 4th generation and later, the iPad Pro 11-inch 2nd generation and later, the iPad Air 4th generation and later, the iPad 9th generation and later, and the iPad mini 6th generation and later.
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Apple also didn’t share any details about the nature of the Face ID restart glitch. Based on research from the folks at 9to5 Mac, though, the problem appears to rear up when using Face ID to unlock certain apps and features such as the Passwords app, private tabs in Safari, and other programs locked behind facial recognition.
If the Face ID authentication initially fails for whatever reason, you try once more by tapping the “Try Face ID Again” button in the alert. iPhones affected by the issue will then lock up and restart after a few seconds, 9to5Mac explained.
Why have only the 18 Pro and Pro Max phones been affected by this Face ID issue?
The answer could lie in how and where the facial recognition sensor is placed. On previous models, such as the iPhone 17 and 16, the Face ID camera is set up on the Dynamic Island. On the new 18 models, the camera is under the display, appearing to the left of the Dynamic Island. When you authenticate yourself with Face ID on the 18 Pro or Pro Max, you may notice a small white line briefly appear under the time. That’s the Face ID camera working.
The iPhone 18 Pro isn’t the only new Apple device to be plagued by unexpected restarts. Last week, Apple released WatchOS 27.0.1 to fix a bug in which the Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 would randomly restart. One person who experienced this problem found an entry in the diagnostic log pointing to timeouts with the watch’s Neural Engine.
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Feature bugs certainly aren’t unusual with a brand new operating system and new devices. So far, Apple seems to be responding to them in a timely manner with the necessary fixes. Fingers crossed that there are no game stopper flaws and that any bugs that do pop up are resolved with simple software updates.