Auditors

[Chief Cheetah 6,915]

iPhones 'disabled' if Apple detects third-party repairs

Image copyrightAFP

Image captionRepaired iPhone 6 handsets have been disabled after an iOS update, some users have claimed

The latest software update for iPhone 6 handsets is allegedly rendering the devices useless if it detects repairs not carried out by Apple.

The problem is known as "error 53" and has appeared in Apple products before.

The Guardian reports that users' phones were disabled after the Touch ID home button was repaired by a non-Apple engineer.

The issue appears to arise once devices have been updated to the latest operating system, iOS 9.

In its report, the Guardian cites the experiences of a freelance photographer, Antonio Olmos, who says the problem occurred on his phone after he upgraded its software.

"When Olmos, who says he has spent thousands of pounds on Apple products over the years, took it to an Apple store in London, staff told him there was nothing they could do, and that his phone was now junk," the paper notes.

Photos 'irretrievable'

Many iPhone 6 customers have been discussing error 53 online.

At Apple's discussion forums, one user named wallihall wrote: "With this update I'm unable to use the phone, and still have to pay for the phone itself.

 

"I did get the front screen replaced, and I understand that it's now considered "tampered with", but at least let me use my iPhone on the old IOS system... I can't retrieve old photos or important documents I once had."

Apple told the paper that iPhone software checks whether any repairs were authorised by Apple.

A spokeswoman said: "When an iPhone is serviced by an unauthorised repair provider, faulty screens or other invalid components that affect the touch ID sensor could cause the check to fail if the pairing cannot be validated.

"With a subsequent update or restore, additional security checks result in an 'error 53' being displayed."

Apple has advised users facing the problem to contact Apple support.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-35502030

[sparkydale 1,194]

Apple are spinning it as a security feature (which makes sense) - the Touch ID function allows you to make payments and buy things online, so changing the Touch ID sensor could compromise financial security - stealing an iPhone then swapping out the screen and home button to allow access.  Bricking the phone, whilst severe, does mean that there is one less thing to worry about if your phone gets pinched.  

[Chief Cheetah 6,915]

But surely they could sort it so that it only disables the function to make payments not locking the thing rendering it completely useless including the ability to retrieve your own pictures and contacts info from it.

Of course I don't doubt Apple can't resolve it and all you have to do is contact the Apple support team and they will make it work again, for a fee of course and also as soon as it has been seen by an authorised Apple technician, for another fee of course.

[sparkydale 1,194]

I'm sure they could.  I'm expecting some sort of anti-competitive/antitrust law suit surrounding this will come through at some point. It basically stops any other 3rd party repair company doing iPhone repairs, which in some territories is the only available option.  

[AA101 626]

I think it is going to be unlawful in the EU - a lot of the contractual terms imposed by the US tech giants are ineffective over here but they will argue they are right until they are blue in the face.

[Richhamdo + 877]

Is anyone able to answer this question for me please.  If the phone/I pad is disabled by Apple as a result of someone fiddling with it or trying to mend it, are the photos and info stored on said devices still retrievable from the backup "i cloud" ? Rich. 

[sparkydale 1,194]

I can't answer for definite, but I would have thought so - things backed up to the cloud/icloud are accessible from anywhere and any machine (as we saw with the 'fappening' last year), so killing a phone locally won't affect that.  As much as anything else, if you bricked your phone with Error 53, and then bought a new one, you then get an option to restore from the cloud or local back up.  

The lesson to learn is make sure you have back ups of anything important (pictures, contacts etc) and make sure those back ups are password protected.  And keep updating the back up.  

[IanW + 1,916]

I can't answer for definite, but I would have thought so - things backed up to the cloud/icloud are accessible from anywhere and any machine (as we saw with the 'fappening' last year), so killing a phone locally won't affect that.  As much as anything else, if you bricked your phone with Error 53, and then bought a new one, you then get an option to restore from the cloud or local back up.  

The lesson to learn is make sure you have back ups of anything important (pictures, contacts etc) and make sure those back ups are password protected.  And keep updating the back up.  

I have just logged into my iCloud account and I can access all of my photos that are synchronise to it (3000+) and if I wanted to I can download individual pictures, or restore everything to another Apple device.

Personally I am not too fussed about this whole Error 53 scenario as I would have my iPhone repaired by Apple after some not good experiences with 3rd parties in the past.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Richhamdo + 877]

Cheers guys, I would leave it to the apple lot as well to mend if I dropped my I pad. "Leave the making of rice cakes to the rice cake maker", that's what I say. Rich.