Every new gadget comes with an early-adopter tax. Most years, you pay it in patience rather than dollars.
Apple (AAPL) buyers know the routine. A new iPhone lands in September, a few bugs surface in the first two weeks, and a point-one software update cleans up most of them by October.
I’ve watched that cycle play out for years, and it’s usually harmless. What matters for your wallet is spotting the rare problem an update can’t touch, because your cheapest fix, a full-refund return, runs on a short clock.
The iPhone 18 Pro, which went on sale Sept. 18 starting at $1,199, is putting that routine to the test. Owners reported three separate problems within days of launch, and only some of them are software.
iOS 27.0.1 stops the Face ID freeze and reboot bug
The biggest complaint involved Face ID. When a face scan failed, some iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max units stopped responding to touch and rebooted a few seconds later, 9to5Mac reported Sept. 23.
The site reproduced the bug by covering a face while opening the Passwords app. It pinned the problem on software rather than on the redesigned Face ID system, which now places the infrared camera under the display.
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Apple told the outlet a fix was coming, and it arrived Sept. 28. The iOS 27.0.1 release notes list three repairs, according to 9to5Mac:
- Restarts on the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max when Face ID fails to authenticate
- A color artifact on some 2x photos taken in certain lighting at f/1.48
- A frozen touchscreen after opening Notification Center and Control Center together
Some owners had already swapped their phones at Apple stores, thinking the hardware was bad. For the freeze, that trip wasn’t necessary.
Green and pink screen lines point to a hardware defect
The third problem is the one to watch. Multiple owners documented green and pink vertical lines on their screens within a week of purchase, and full resets didn’t clear them, Techaeris reported Sept. 28.
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The outlet called it a likely hardware fault affecting a subset of display panels. None of the iOS 27.0.1 fixes mention the lines, and I found no public comment from Apple on them as of Sept. 29.
Don’t confuse this with the photo color artifact Apple just patched. That glitch showed up in pictures, while these lines sit on the screen itself.
Your 14-day Apple return window is already running
Install iOS 27.0.1 first through Settings, then General, then Software Update. If your phone still freezes afterward, book a visit to Apple.
If you see lines, move quickly. You have 14 calendar days to return an item from the date you received it, Apple’s returns page says, and it must come back with its cords, adapters and documentation.
For launch-day buyers, that window closes Oct. 2. Phones bought through a carrier or another retailer follow that seller’s return rules instead.
A return puts the full $1,199, or $1,299 for the Pro Max, back in your account. After the window closes, you’re relying on Apple’s one-year warranty for a repair or replacement, which means more time without the phone you paid for.
Before you contact Apple Support, photograph or record the lines and note the date they first appeared.
Update the phone this week, and if a single stray line shows up, get it to Apple while a refund is still on the table.
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