Apple is facing a backlash from customers over a software update that disables iPhone 6 handsets if it detects repairs by third-party technicians.
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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.
For devices that have undergone third-party repairs, the error message could mean imminent death. Once you update to a new version of iOS or try to restore, though, you’ll be presented with an Error 53 message that’ll turn your phone into a brick.
“We take customer security very seriously and Error 53 is the result of security checks created to protect our customers”, an Apple spokesperson said.
“We protect fingerprint data using a secure enclave, which is uniquely paired to the touch ID sensor”.
Apple advise all customers who have fallen victim to the Error 53 message to contact the support team.
Hell hath no fury like an Apple customer scorned. What we know so far is – the error 53 is the result of a hardware change/failure within or near the home button assembly.
According to some commentators, the issue was mainly related to the fix of the fingerprint scanner which was embedded in the home button of the phone.
Many have criticized this move, including Kyle Wiens, head of the electronics-repair site iFixit.com.
Apple, however, shared a statement with The Huffington Post Australia describing the error as a way of protecting phones against fraudulent parts. But since all these iPhones have already been repaired in non-Apple service centers, hence no more warranty, Apple can do only little about them. If you have replaced the display and/or the home button from a third-party service centre, your Touch ID will not be validated as “original” and it will trigger the iOS security to “kill” the iPhone permanently.
The Touch ID and Apple Pay should be the only ones disabled.
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But some Apple experts criticised the implementation of the feature, while praising Apple’s thinking in attempting to keep phones safe. If the system found a mismatch – wherein the check fails – Touch ID and the phone will be disabled for good.
