If Your iPhone 18 Pro Is Randomly Rebooting, There's a Fix
Apple just released a patch for the reboot glitch.
MikeTyes
Jake Peterson Senior Technology Editor
Experience
Jake Peterson is Lifehacker’s Tech Editor, and has been covering tech news and how-tos for nearly a decade. His team covers all things technology, including AI, smartphones, computers, game consoles, and subscriptions.
September 28, 2026
Add as a preferred source on GoogleWe may earn a commission from links on this page.
Credit: Marcin Golba/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Key Takeaways
iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max users are reporting random reboot issues with their devices. These new iPhones reportedly freeze up after a failed Face ID attempt, and reboot shortly after. Apple's latest Apple Watches, the Series 12 and Ultra 4, also have reboot issues of their own. Apple released a patch for Apple Watches on Wednesday, and a patch for iPhone 18 Pro devices on Monday.Table of Contents
Apple released a bunch of new devices this month. The Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 support new health-tracking features and Siri AI, while the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max introduce the A20 chip and variable aperture for the first time on Apple's smartphones. But while all these new products are objective upgrades over their predecessors, they all have one issue in common: They keep randomly rebooting.
What is Apple's rebooting problem?
As reported by 9to5Mac, some iPhone 18 Pro users are noticing that their smartphones are freezing up after a failed Face ID scan. When this happens, you won't be able to interact with your iPhone, even if the "Try Face ID Again" button appears onscreen. Instead, after a few moments, the iPhone will reboot. It's not a catastrophic issue, but it is annoying, and it's affecting a number of users, as this Reddit thread shows.
It's a similar story with the latest Apple Watches. While the Series 12 and Ultra 4 obviously don't use Face ID, users are still experiencing random reboots—emphasis on "random." Unlike the iPhone 18 Pro users, affected Apple Watch users aren't doing anything in particular when their watches reboot. They could be in the middle of a workout, chatting with Siri AI, or using the Maps app, when all of a sudden, the Apple logo appears. Some analyses showed that the Neural Engine was at fault, but Apple never confirmed the exact issue.
Apple just released a fix for iPhone 18 Pro users
Apple did find solutions to the reboot issues on all of these devices. Apple released watchOS 27.0.1 exclusively for Series 12 and Ultra 4 users on Wednesday, Sept. 23, which it says should fix random reboots going forward. Then, on Monday, Apple released iOS 27.0.1 for iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max. This update doesn't only fix rebooting issues, either. Apple also patched a bug that could add a color artifact on photos shoot at 2x at f/1.48 aperture, as well as a glitch that would freeze the display when opening Notification Center and Control Center at the same time. Here are the full release notes:
What do you think so far?
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.
As such, don't feel the need to take your new iPhone 18 Pro to the Apple Store if your only issue is covered by one, two, or three of the above. While some Apple Store employees have swapped out affected units, this software update should be enough to take care of the issue. To update, head to Settings > General > Software Update.
