If your iPhone has been affected from non-standard components being detected by the latest iOS9 update, your best bet is to get in contact with Apple. If there is a mismatch, you will get this Error 53 message, thus rendering your iPhone or iPad unusable.
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The support page advised iPhone or iPad owners who had their devices serviced by people other than Apple Service Center technicians, Apple Store employees or authorized Apple service providers should “contact Apple Support about pricing information for out-of-warranty repairs”.
The problem appears to be occurring to some users that have had the home button or screen of their iPhone 6, 6 Plus, 6s, or 6s Plus replaced by a third-party, but the issue may not pop up right away.
“We take customer security very seriously and Error 53 is the result of security checks created to protect our customers”, Apple said in an official statement to The Verge. Each Touch ID sensor is uniquely tied to the iOS device’s motherboard for additional security.
Rumors about Error 53 had been circulating for a while, but Apple has only just now confirmed them.
The new Apple iPhone 5C is displayed at an Apple Store on September 20, 2013 in Palo Alto, California.
As the Guardian reported last week, some users have also encountered Error 53 even though their device has not been altered or repaired in any way. Their phones have reportedly been rendered as technologically useful as a brick, hence the term bricked, wherein any photos and other data on the handset are lost and possibly made irretrievable.
It all has to do with the iPhone’s Touch ID fingerprint scanner.
The security feature is an added layer that Apple has provided in order to safeguard the user’s data on it. A hacker can get past the Touch ID fingerprint by simply replacing the sensor/home button on the device. “Without this unique pairing, a malicious touch ID sensor could be substituted, thereby gaining access to the secure enclave”, an Apple rep told The Guardian.
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Error 53 is linked to iPhones or iPads with the Touch ID technology, but it seemed to be peculiar only to phones repaired by a third-party and when the devices’ operating system had been upgraded to the latest iOS 9 version. In case there is unauthorized Touch ID Display, it fails the test leaving the handset bricked.
