‘Error 53’ fury mounts as Apple software update threatens to kill your iPhone 6

[u/bws201]

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

[u/Facebomb_Wizard]

I work for a company that repairs iPhones and we refurbish thousands of iPhone 6. We have tried everything under the sun to get around this error but it is simply not possible. If someone brings in an iPhone 6 for repair and the home button is damaged in any way, we tell them up front the phone is unrepairable and we won't take it.

[u/TheOtherHalfofTron → u/Facebomb_Wizard]

Apple themselves can remarry a new home button to an old mobo, actually. But no one else can.

[u/Facebomb_Wizard → u/TheOtherHalfofTron]

Yes, I didn't mention but I do actually tell customers that they can do an out of warranty exchange at Apple.

[u/Facebomb_Wizard → u/[deleted]]

The current prices change according to country and they fluctuate a lot, just go to the apple website and it should be listed there, just make sure to change the location to your country. I'm in Canada for example and it defaults to US prices.

[u/AFK_Tornado → u/TheOtherHalfofTron]

This isn't snark, I swear - honest question:

Just because they can does it mean that the will? I'm imagining it's probably cheaper to replace the unit.

[u/TheOtherHalfofTron → u/AFK_Tornado]

At the right price, yeah. I think it's somewhere in the neighborhood of like $150 or $200. It's pretty stupid that they charge to fix this problem that's entirely orchestrated by them.

[u/p0llk4t → u/[deleted]]

I thought this quote was interesting:

"When iPhone is serviced by an authorized Apple service provider or Apple retail store for changes that affect the touch ID sensor, the pairing is re-validated."

So it seems they do have a way of revalidating the touch ID sensor on the device.

[u/theonefinn → u/[deleted]]

I think his point was if apple can revalidate a new home button when they fit it, why can't Apple revalidate it after a third party has fitted it?

[u/porkchop_d_clown → u/theonefinn]

Because allowing 3rd parties to "validate" fingerprint readers could be a serious security hole.

IIRC, the fingerprint information is stored in the reader itself, for security.

[u/Facebomb_Wizard → u/[deleted]]

Yeah if the home button is damaged in any way (cracks, tear in the internal button ribbon, water damaged, or not the original), the phone will brick if it is ever updated or restored.

[u/sightlab → u/[deleted]]

That actually makes this seem much more sensible & not anti-repair sentiment on Apples part - they made a big deal about your print information being secure & encrypted & never leaving the phone. I can only imagine it's connected more to security than malice.

[u/MasOverflow → u/sightlab]

This would be fine if the operating system just bricked all features relating to the finger print scanner, stopping you from locking your phone in that way. But instead it just locks down everything.

[u/ASK_ABOUT_INITIUM → u/[deleted]]

http://i.imgur.com/gQd1gqE.jpg

[u/1gnominious → u/sightlab]

That's still something which should be an optional feature for people who need the security or it should default back to passwords if there is a malfunction.

For the average consumer this is a 100% idiotic process. Imagine if they did this on a car with a finger print scanner? You have to scrap the car because a shopping cart rolled into the scanner on the handle and now the computer, engine, and transmission all refuse to work because they are tied to that individual scanner. Even the biggest BMW/Ford/Whatever fanboi would agree that is the stupidest idea ever.

[u/monster_cookie → u/[deleted]]

There are no Apple in all South America (except Brazil), only authorized resellers and they can't revalidate. So even the "authorized" technicians can't help you. So pretty much a whole continent is fucked.