Error 53 bricks iPhone 6 after updating to iOS9 if it has been repaired by a 3rd Party

[Keudn]

If you have had your iPhone 6 home button repaired by a third party, do NOT upgrade to iOS 9! Doing so will cause your phone to display Error 53, and according to Apple this is unrepairable and will require purchasing a new phone. 

 

http://www.theguardian.com/money/2016/feb/05/error-53-apple-iphone-software-update-handset-worthless-third-party-repair

 

According to the Guardian, 

Quote

He says he thought no more about it, until he was sent the standard notification by Apple inviting him to install the latest software. He accepted the upgrade, but within seconds the phone was displaying “error 53” and was, in effect, dead.

 

The problem apparently lies in the fact that the phone checks to see if the home button is the original component, and if it isn't it locks the phone out, bricking itself.

Quote

California-based tech expert Kyle Wiens, who runs the iFixit website, says this is a major issue. “The ‘error 53’ page on our website has had more than 183,000 hits, suggesting this is a big problem for Apple users,” he told Guardian Money. “The problem occurs if the repairer changes the home button or the cable. Following the software upgrade the phone in effect checks to make sure it is still using the original components, and if it isn’t, it simply locks out the phone. There is no warning, and there’s no way that I know of to bring it back to life.”

What do you guys think? Should Apple be fixing or paying for the replacement phones that are affected by this problem?

[Guest Kloaked]

Uh yeah, they should fix that. They know better than this. The internet will find out. 

 

Sounds like a deliberate attempt to brick phones. 

[patrick3027]

How is this news? This has been a problem since TouchID was introduced with the 5S.

[ace_cheaply]

That is extremely shady business by Apple.  What do you think goes out the fastest on an iphone, besides the only physical button other than power and volume.   This is designed to kill third party repair stores.

[suicidalfranco]

Known error ever since the iPhone 5S, even Linus mentionned it on WAN show when he talked about looking at this video once:

 

 

i think it's amazing that even if Apple supplies their repair labs with the materials, information, sheets that third party repair shops wish they could get their hands on, they still force them to only offer the expensive option: replacing the entire device

 

 

[Yummychickenblue]

This has been a thing since iPhone 5s when TouchID was implemented. It's part of how Apple keeps third parties from repairing their devices.

[Paralectic]

What Apple does here is illegal..

[Deli]

Glad I don't use iPhone.

[atrash]

well the home button is also a fingerprint scanner.A really good one too and quite a security sensitive component if I may say so.I wouldn't trust any third party to repair/replace it if it was broken.

[Nic]

22 minutes ago, atrash said:

well the home button is also a fingerprint scanner.A really good one too and quite a security sensitive component if I may say so.I wouldn't trust any third party to repair/replace it if it was broken.

But the problem is that they don't let consumer have the choice to go to a different repair shop

[asim1999]

1 hour ago, Deli said:

Glad I don't use iPhone.

And thats why i use Chinese phones (OnePlus 2). Huge backing by devs and dirt cheap 

[Daegun]

Is it actually OK for Apple to do this? Brick your phone and make it unusable without any warning that updating will do so. Seems at best it would be some kind of gray area.

 

 

 

[sof006]

Had a customer come into my store the other day wanting an update done to iOS 9.2.1... so I did that and regretfully so they had their home button swapped. Error 53 immediately and it demanded that they restore their device... which could also not be done because of error 53.

 

Had to explain why this was and all they could say was their phone wasn't tampered with... obviously lie number one. Told them they had to go to Apple. Conversation ended there.

[RedRound2]

Wow, poor job OP as this is only half the story. First correct your title that this is only in the case of touch ID enabled home button. Second apple has acknowledged the issue and this is what they say

Quote

We protect fingerprint data using a secure enclave, which is uniquely paired to the Touch ID sensor. When iPhone is serviced by an authorised Apple service provider or Apple retail store for changes that affect the touch ID sensor, the pairing is re-validated. This check ensures the device and the iOS features related to touch ID remain secure. Without this unique pairing, a malicious touch ID sensor could be substituted, thereby gaining access to the secure enclave. When iOS detects that the pairing fails, touch ID, including Apple Pay, is disabled so the device remains secure.

Source: http://9to5mac.com/2016/02/05/error-53-iphone-6/

[iamdarkyoshi]

Apple. This is why I hate you. Your business techniques are SHIT

[MarcoR]

Noticed a lot of misinformation around this, here and elsewhere...

 

TouchID is a hardware element. Not software, your fingerprint reader and it's hardware are coupled with the phone during manufacturing. The minute you turn the iPhone on and it gets flashed the first time, the two are irreversibly ties together. 

 

Its why Apple didn't repair their iPhones up until a year ago. You walked into a store with a broken home button? You got a new phone. Replacing the home button on your own would permanently violate the hardware security and render TouchID (and Apple Pay) null. It was always a security thing, nothing more. 

 

It it seems that in the past year, Apple changes that policy and is capable of repairing your TouchID sensor to the hardware, like from factory, though how often they do this is unknown as for Apple it's really that much easier to just replace a customer device either under warranty OR for the core charge on a device swap. 

 

Killing 3rd party repairs? Come on guys. Apple has several authorized repair centres, plenty of places that aren't from Apple themselves. They don't stop these guys. They simply provide a VALID way, using OEM parts. 

 

Actual 3rd parties who aren't authorized are a mixed bag. Who knows what they're doing, in hardware or software. Apple isn't "bricking" phones out of spite. TouchID is a security feature first, and since a lot of iOS 9 features can work off TouchID it's not like they're being vindictive or unfair in wanting people to have valid hardware in place. 

[Yoinkerman]

Of course they're doing it to control both the consumer and third party repairs.  Jesus people were you born yesterday with gullible written on your forehead?

[captain cactus]

This is caused by non-registered service people repairing TouchID sensors.

 

Of course they'll brick your phone, the sensor is linked to the secure enclave of the Ax chip. You only want genuine Apple hardware and people authorized by Apple to be messing with the device that reads and store your effing fingerprint data, and not some jolly wanker with his own spare parts store. Who knows what he'll install in that device.

 

If you don't want to brick your phone, let it be repaired by authorized people.

[Trixanity]

Let's be real here:

Apple is blocking unauthorized repairs.

 

If it was merely the security of the Touch ID, they could (as they apparently say themselves) disable Touch ID if an unauthorized repair is registered. They choose not to do that and instead brick your device under the guise of protecting the user.

 

Obviously your average repair shop isn't gonna get authorized, so they're targeting every link in the chain in order to try and control who does what with their products. Arguably for quality and safety assurance but that's only half of it. They just want their piece of the pie.

 

This effectively makes repairs impossible for most people, including the user, even if said user has the capability to repair it. Why? Because the user can't get ahold of official and authorized parts. So your only option is to pay the premium of official channels of which might not be readily available or affordable.

[atrash]

1 hour ago, Nic said:

But the problem is that they don't let consumer have the choice to go to a different repair shop

Why should they? You can always change other non security sensitive stuffs like the display/battery etc anyway. We are talking about the home button with fingerprint scanner btw. Read quote below.

35 minutes ago, RedRound2 said:

Wow, poor job OP as this is only half the story. First correct your title that this is only in the case of touch ID enabled home button. Second apple has acknowledged the issue and this is what they say

 

Quote: 

We protect fingerprint data using a secure enclave, which is uniquely paired to the Touch ID sensor. When iPhone is serviced by an authorised Apple service provider or Apple retail store for changes that affect the touch ID sensor, the pairing is re-validated. This check ensures the device and the iOS features related to touch ID remain secure. Without this unique pairing, a malicious touch ID sensor could be substituted, thereby gaining access to the secure enclave. When iOS detects that the pairing fails, touch ID, including Apple Pay, is disabled so the device remains secure.

 

Source: http://9to5mac.com/2016/02/05/error-53-iphone-6/

 

[suicidalfranco]

2 hours ago, atrash said:

well the home button is also a fingerprint scanner.A really good one too and quite a security sensitive component if I may say so.I wouldn't trust any third party to repair/replace it if it was broken.

i would understand if the data on the finger print was stored on the home button, but it's not.

[RedRound2]

1 minute ago, suicidalfranco said:

i would understand if the data on the finger print was stored on the home button, but it's not.

 

Statement given by Apple

41 minutes ago, RedRound2 said:

We protect fingerprint data using a secure enclave, which is uniquely paired to the Touch ID sensor. When iPhone is serviced by an authorised Apple service provider or Apple retail store for changes that affect the touch ID sensor, the pairing is re-validated. This check ensures the device and the iOS features related to touch ID remain secure. Without this unique pairing, a malicious touch ID sensor could be substituted, thereby gaining access to the secure enclave. When iOS detects that the pairing fails, touch ID, including Apple Pay, is disabled so the device remains secure.

 

[RedRound2]

Where are those moderators who would be quick to correct this misinformation. 

Oh yeah I forgot this is an Apple article.....

[zacRupnow]

When you buy their phone it is yours. They have no legal right to deny you use of your device for any reason. This is going to go down the same path as Jailbreaks and Rooting. Your device is yours do do with as you please.

[atrash]

1 minute ago, suicidalfranco said:

i would understand if the data on the finger print was stored on the home button, but it's not.

 

But are they using first party part? People will think all sorts of malicious way to gain access to your phone and if the fingerprint scanner is compromised, Apple will be in serious trouble.