[raino]

'Error 53' bricking repaired iPhones | ZDNet

Apple says there is nothing that can be done short of buying a new iPhone.

"The whole thing is extraordinary," said Olmos. "How can a company deliberately make their own products useless with an upgrade and not warn their own customers about it?"

Keurig, meet the new Keurig. Totally not anti-competitive...

[rthonpm]

Don't worry, large parts of the tech press will fawn over Apple's strategy of bricking iPhones.

[Ment]

Thats Apple being Apple. If its a security issue then just disable TouchID for authentication purposes and leave the rest of the function alone.

[Elephant_Canyon]

So Apple introduces an iPhone anti-tampering security feature and they're being criticized for it?

Damned if you do, damned if you don't, I guess.

[raino]

So Apple introduces an iPhone anti-tampering security feature and they're being criticized for it?

The person quoted in that article did not buy his iPhone with this Error 53-bringing OS update installed. Plus, as he says, it was never disclosed that installation of this update could cause this issue when previous updates haven't.

For all the praise they get for their "it just works" forethought, they certainly didn't think this one through...

...or did they? "There is nothing that can be done short of buying a new iPhone."

And if "anti-tampering" was their goal, why not just disable the Touch ID feature; why cripple the phone entirely? Why is "we're sorry but Touch ID has been disabled. We suspect your phone may have been tampered with" not good enough? Make people unlock their phones via a password, etc.

[jallister]

The person quoted in that article did not buy his iPhone with this Error 53-bringing OS update installed. Plus, as he says, it was never disclosed that installation of this update could cause this issue when previous updates haven't.

For all the praise they get for their "it just works" forethought, they certainly didn't think this one through...

...or did they? "There is nothing that can be done short of buying a new iPhone."

And if "anti-tampering" was their goal, why not just disable the Touch ID feature; why cripple the phone entirely? Why is "we're sorry but Touch ID has been disabled. We suspect your phone may have been tampered with" not good enough? Make people unlock their phones via a password, etc.

According to Apple, if iOS determines that Touch ID sensor is compromised, iOS will disable Touch ID and Apple Pay. According to the article, he attempted to update his phone which led to Error 53

Apple's Statement: "We take customer security very seriously and Error 53 is the result of security checks designed to protect our customers," the company said. "iOS checks that the Touch ID sensor in your iPhone or iPad correctly matches your device's other components. If iOS finds a mismatch, the check fails and Touch ID, including for Apple Pay use, is disabled. This security measure is necessary to protect your device and prevent a fraudulent Touch ID sensor from being used. If a customer encounters Error 53, we encourage them to contact Apple Support."

[John Vieira]

I'm actually not gonna give them too much crap on this one.

It's a security feature that simply has gone a little too far.

People here complain about wiping their BB10 devices and not being able to log back into them after they wiped their accounts, right?

The device may not be bricked, but it's almost equally as useless.

That being said, yes, they should fix it, and they should fix affected devices.

Thankfully Apple can actually afford to do that, unlike BlackBerry who doesn't have any money or resources.

Posted via -sigh- Priv. Guess we have to get used to Android guys....

[raino]

According to Apple, if iOS determines that Touch ID sensor is compromised, iOS will disable Touch ID and Apple Pay. According to the article, he attempted to update his phone which led to Error 53

Apple's Statement: "We take customer security very seriously and Error 53 is the result of security checks designed to protect our customers," the company said. "iOS checks that the Touch ID sensor in your iPhone or iPad correctly matches your device's other components. If iOS finds a mismatch, the check fails and Touch ID, including for Apple Pay use, is disabled. This security measure is necessary to protect your device and prevent a fraudulent Touch ID sensor from being used. If a customer encounters Error 53, we encourage them to contact Apple Support."

That's a great find, Jared. Yes, they disable Touch ID and Apple Pay...by hard bricking the phone. Does the statement touch on that? Because that's what has been happening, according to the ZDNet article.

People here complain about wiping their BB10 devices and not being able to log back into them after they wiped their accounts, right?

The device may not be bricked, but it's almost equally as useless.

Not even close. You log back in with the same BBID, problem solved. At no point is the device bricked...hard or soft.

[zocster]

Apple comments on 'Error 53' failed security checks on iPhone | iMore

bit of comment from Apple.

[raino]

Apple comments on 'Error 53' failed security checks on iPhone | iMore

bit of comment from Apple.

It's the same statement Jared has posted.

Note that it does not explain--much less acknowledge--why this "security measure" requires bricking the entire phone, not just disabling the touch ID and related features, nor does it say why customers aren't being warned at the time of update that this bricking is a possibility (because it would diminish sales in places where there aren't a lot of first party/approved repair centers.) Also note that it does not state what the final solution to an Error 53 is to be--they leave it at a vague "contact Apple Support" (because people are not going to like what they're going to hear.)

Here is the 'original' Guardian story: ?Error 53? fury mounts as Apple software update threatens to kill your iPhone 6 | Money | The Guardian

[zocster]

I know, it is a stink move from Apple, but knowing that your product is repaired with genuine products also gives me peace of mind, I guess...

It's the same statement Jared has posted.

Note that it does not explain--much less acknowledge--why this "security measure" requires bricking the entire phone, not just disabling the touch ID and related features, nor does it say why customers aren't being warned at the time of update that this bricking is a possibility (because it would diminish sales in places where there aren't a lot of first party/approved repair centers.) Also note that it does not state what the final solution to an Error 53 is to be--they leave it at a vague "contact Apple Support" (because people are not going to like what they're going to hear.)

Here is the 'original' Guardian story: ?Error 53? fury mounts as Apple software update threatens to kill your iPhone 6 | Money | The Guardian

[brookie229]

Well if Apple does not address this problem, I have just ruled out getting an iPhone for my next device. I live 600 miles from the nearest Apple genius's. IMHO this is nothing but a money-grab and a way to cut out 3rd party repair shops. Unbelievable. I think that public pressure may get them to do an about-face on this so called security feature. I can see a software fix coming down before too long.

[raino]

Apple apologizes, issues fix for Error 53 that disables iPhones and iPads - Technology & Science - CBC News

After further review of unanticipated levels of customer outrage and class action lawsuit(s), we at Apple have come to the realization that we do not take customer security very seriously, as Error 53 was not the result of security checks designed to protect our customers. Oh, look, apps!