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Apple secretive about iPhone Error 53

Michelle Avenant
By Michelle Avenant, portals journalist.
Johannesburg, 08 Feb 2016
User beware: an illegitimate repair on the iPhone 6 Home button could kill the device forever.
User beware: an illegitimate repair on the iPhone 6 Home button could kill the device forever.

An iPhone 6 error message is permanently disabling thousands of users' devices.

While Apple has said the "Error 53" message is part of measures to protect users' security, this alleged security feature is costing each user thousands of rand as their iPhone is rendered irrevocably useless.

The error message rears its head when iPhone 6 users allow non-Apple-certified repairers to replace the device's Home button, which scans the user's thumbprint to unlock the device and verify their identity when they make payments.

The error can also be prompted by other illegitimate parts that could affect the Home button, such as touch-screens, according to Apple.

When the device's operating system updates after the illegitimate repair, it detects the uncertified component and shuts down the device irreversibly.

"This security measure is necessary to... prevent a fraudulent Touch ID sensor from being used," for example to make payments with Apple Pay, said Apple in an official statement.

Apple is dodging liability for the error - about which users received no specific alert or warning - by asserting users violate the company's terms and conditions by installing third-party components.

The maker of the world's most popular smartphone has been widely criticised for its secrecy around the issue, and many have pointed out glaring flaws in Apple's explanation of the error's purpose.

"What's the use of 'additional security checks' if they only occur during an iOS update?" asks Macworld's Jared Newman.

The Fix's Reuben Esparza suggests the error could be an effort by Apple to maintain monopoly on iPhone repairs.

Furthermore, The Daily Dot's Mike Wehner famously reports having encountered the error message without having replaced his Home button at all.

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