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Apple’s security check in new iPhones and iPads can disable the devices

The killer message doesn’t appear until a user with a repaired or damaged phone tries to install the newest iOS software, 9.

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Apple has advised any users affected to contact Apple Support.

If devices have undergone repairs by third party for components like the home button or the screen, the error 53 message can have devastating consequences.

What really happens here is that the iOS 9 update will check whether your Touch ID sensor matches with other components of the iPhone or iPad as it was made by the company. If the system found a mismatch – wherein the check fails – Touch ID and the phone will be disabled for good.

The fact that Apple must be the one revalidating the Touch ID shows the high level of security it has put in place with respect to user’s fingerprint data. Your iPhone is bricked and you will not be able to do anything with it. If you are facing such an issue, we suggest that you contact Apple Support as soon as possible.

In some cases, buying a new iPhone could be cheaper when combining subsidies and financing plans with the credit given for the traded-in 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. With a subsequent update or restore, additional security checks result in an “error 53” being displayed …

“I had a screen fix done at a third party repairer, the phone then stated playing up shutting down re starting until it wouldn’t re start”, the reader said.

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He also mentions that changing the flex cable that connects the Touch ID sensor to the logic board does not cause Error 53. Moreover whenever a new iOS update is installed on the device, apple reassures that the Touch ID sensors are replaced. If the home button and by extension Touch ID sensor is not replaced along with the display, it won’t cause Error 53. The error message bricks the unofficially repaired devices, because of which users permanently lose all their saved data – including messages, photos, and videos. It’s also occurred in some phones that have a cracked screen, repairs in other areas, or no known repairs at all.

iOS 9 bricks iPhones with unauthorized homebutton repairs