Glitchgate: iPhone 18 Pro Launch Issues Include Graphics Glitches, Restarts, and Face ID Problems

Just two days after the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max became officially available to buyers, numerous videos showcasing anomalous behavior on Apple's new devices have started to surface. On X (formerly Twitter), some users have informally dubbed the situation “Glitchgate” following the collection of many recordings where the interface appears to break down in spectacular ways. It is hoped that this is a simple issue solvable with a software update.

Shared videos show everything from an interface unresponsive to touch to overlapping or distorted elements, with translucent panels and parts of iOS seemingly stuck in incorrect screen positions. According to user CID, who is collecting these videos under the “Glitchgate” name, the recordings are genuine and represent many different scenarios.

Glitchgate Videos Accompanied by Stuttering, Green Screens, and Unexpected Restarts

The visual glitches are not the only complaints emerging in the initial hours of the new iPhone 18 Pro's commercial life. Some users also report stuttering scroll and animations on iPhone 18 Pro devices running iOS 27, while previous generation devices operate without issues and more smoothly. One of the first Japanese owners stated their unit began showing these irregularities immediately after migrating data and updating the operating system.

Similar testimonies come from other iPhone 18 users who updated to iOS 27, suggesting the problem lies with the software. In communities dedicated to the new operating system, users are describing fluidity drops and minor stutters during scrolling even on previous generation models. This indicates that at least some animation and ProMotion-related issues might be a consequence of the software, not an exclusive defect of the panel or the new Apple A20 Pro chip. Consequently, a simple update could resolve the problem.

At least one more extreme case has emerged of an iPhone 18 Pro whose screen turned completely green. The user who posted about the incident mentioned they eventually managed to get the device replaced at the store. This remains an isolated incident for now and doesn't allow for the conclusion of a widespread problem with the OLED panels.

Apple Investigates Another iPhone 18 Pro Fault Involving Restarts and Face ID

Concurrent with these graphical issues, numerous reports from South Korea describe a problem termed “Panic Full,” where the iPhone 18 Pro or Pro Max freezes and then automatically restarts. An iPhone user community in Korea, with approximately 2.41 million members, has already accumulated several testimonies, with some owners claiming they can deliberately reproduce the failure.

One described procedure involves opening a banking app or the deleted photos folder, repeatedly causing Face ID authentication errors by covering the sensors, and then trying again several times. Some devices eventually display an error and restart, leaving behind a log named “panic-full” in iOS diagnostic data. Other users report experiencing similar restarts while watching YouTube, when using Apple Wallet, or simply trying to authenticate via Face ID.

In this specific instance, there is already an initial official response: Apple Korea has stated they are investigating these problems. The cause is not yet known, nor is it confirmed that this issue is directly related to the graphic failures of what is now dubbed “Glitchgate.” Given the situation, we will have to wait for enough attention to be drawn for Apple to investigate and patch the problem through an iOS update.