There is now a mounting outcry from among iPhone 6 owners after a bug in the latest iOS 9 update lead to the so-called “Error 53”, which would effectively kill the device without any hope of getting it fixed. Error 53 basically bricks any iPhone and makes it unusable.
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There had been reports of devices having been repaired months earlier that had been working fine, before the message popped on the display, following which the device was disabled, after the phone was connected to a computer to perform a software update.
According to TechCrunch, if a third-party fix shop replaces your home button, iOS 9 automatically bricks your phone.
A statement from Apple to the Irish Mirrorsays: “We take customer security very seriously and Error 53 is the result of security checks created to protect our customers”. Should there be a mismatch, it would disable Apple Pay services, along with Touch ID authentication. So, it’s possible that something could go wrong inside your device-like when The Daily Dot’s Mike Wehner noticed his Touch ID sensor was acting up-and that could eventually trigger an Error 53, even though Wehner didn’t actually do anything to cause it himself. “Outside of the big industrialized nations, Apple stores are few and far between, and damaged phones can only be brought back to life by small third-party repairers”, Olmos said. At least that’s what Apple is saying at the latest case of Error 53. “Even if your equipment isn’t functional or doesn’t have any value, you can recycle your iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, PC or smartphone responsibly through Apple for free”, the company’s site reads. Cracked iPhone screens are a common scenario and the home button is usually replaced.
So the bottom line is, if you have an iPhone with touch ID fingerprint recognition, and have it repaired at an unauthorised repairer using non-standard techniques or components, iOS9 detects this and locks everything down as a security measure. Apple Stores were instructed to avoid screen installations over concerns that putting third-party products on iPhones might result in error.
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You may be able to take your banged-up iPhone to the Apple store, instead of the garbage, and get something for it. Apple said its software checks that the fingerprint sensor matches the device’s other components.
