Thankfully, there will soon be a more appropriate place for you to put that busted up device-Apple is launching an iPhone trade-in program wherein users can take their bricked devices to the designated service centers and get them exchanged / replaced for a new device.
Advertisement
Users who had their iPhones 6 and 6s repaired by a third party (ie not by Apple), and which had not been upgraded to the latest iOS9 version might come across display Error 53 alert, which simply meant their phone had gone dead for keeps.
Because each time an authorized Apple service provider repairs your device, they validate and re-validate the device’s Touch ID sensor.
Other than that, Apple hasn’t commented on the issue or outlined exactly what the company can do for those affected by the iPhone bricking error message.
iOS performs a standard check to make sure that the Touch ID sensor matches the other components inside the device.
The Apple spokeswoman explains that “faulty screens or other invalid components”, can disrupt the unique pairing methods of the touch ID, disabling the phone so it remains secure. According to a report issued by the Guardian, Apple has pinpointed to unauthorized third-party fixes, as such procedures can mess up the association between the Touch ID fingerprint reader of the handset and the “secure enclave” that caches the fingerprint info.
Announced in September 2014 and launched with the debut of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus the following month, Apple Pay enables secure and payment-card-free mobile transactions through the iPhone’s Touch ID, a dedicated chip called the “Secure Element” and a NFC (near field communication) antenna.
Not much. You can contact Apple support to see if they’ll be able to cover you under Apple Care, but you’ll probably be out of luck.
As the Wall Street Journal points out, some customers have gone to the Apple Store only to be turned away as the error message was like “the plague”, and the unauthorized repairs had voided the device’s warranty.
Users are claiming that “Error 53” is rendering their phones useless. So it may just be that there is something which has gone wrong inside the device like the Touch ID sensor acting up.
Advertisement
“The problem occurs if the repairer changes the home button or the cable”, iFixit CEO Kyle Wiens told the Guardian. With subsequent restores and updates, additional security checks usually result in error 53’s being displayed on the screen.
