It’s never a good idea to fiddle with your Apple devices by doing own repairs or taking them to a third party technicians. And as if the risk of causing damage to components of your precious iPhone wasn’t scary enough, Apple has gone a step further and started making such repaired devices totally unusable!
Reports from various users are suggesting that Apple has started “bricking” the devices that have been repaired by anyone other than an approved service provider. For those who may be unfamiliar with this term, ‘bricking’ is a process by which Apple can lock the iPhones remotely, rendering them unusable by the customer.
This problem is most common among people who’ve gotten their Touch ID repaired from third-party services. They reported that the phone flashed the “Error 53” message and became unresponsive after upgrading the OS.
The earliest complaints of this kind go back to September 2014. But it was dismissed as a bug in the code. However, in the recent times, it has become more and more frequent. Support groups and Apple Forums on the internet are flooded with such messages from disgruntled users.
Imagine what a surprise it would have been to iPhone users when Apple claimed responsibility for the bricking! In a statement to The Guardian, the company acknowledged that it froze several iPhones to ensure that users are not using fraudulent Touch ID sensors.
“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“, an Apple spokesperson told the publication.
We agree with Apple here. The Touch ID stores important information on our iPhones. It’s our first level of defence against any potential attacks on our data. It makes perfect sense to not compromise on its standard of performance.
However, we’re not sure this error pops up only when making changes to the Touch ID. A Reddit user, going by the name of “impeccableflaws” has this to say:
“I have replaced my iPhone 6 screen by a third party one, and have learned my lesson. After receiving the phone, the touch sensor did not work. I returned to the shop, and the repairer put in my original home button,”
At first, he thought it was due to some patchy repair work. However, he goes on to explain:
“I then tried updating my iPhone via iTunes, and the unpleasant message of an error 53 came across my screen, and now my phone only shows the connect to iTunes logo.”
Through our interactions with readers we’ve found that the main reason people prefer to skip authorised service centers is the cost associated with repairing iPhones. Going to an Apple Store gives the best results, no doubt; but it also puts a lot of strain on your pocket.
For example, repairing a cracked iPhone 6 screen can set you back by almost 25K! When you think about the cheaper replacement that an unauthorised dealer can do for just 2-3K … well, who wouldn’t be tempted?
Apple, on their part, have promised to solve some of our woes. Extending the iPhone trade-in programme (not available in India yet) to include damaged handsets is a good start, but it is not nearly enough.
We are hoping to see more such changes in the future, and we’ll update you as and when they happen. In the meantime, take good care of your iPhone. We hope it doesn’t turn into a brick!
NEVER THOUGHT THAT SUCH A REPUTED COMPANY COULD BECOME SO DESPERATELY GREEDY TO IGNORE FAIR / HONEST TRADE WITH IT’S CUSTOMERS!!! QUITE A SHOCKING NEWS THIS WAS FOR ME AS I REGARDED APPLE & i PHONE QUITE ETHICAL BUSINESS PEOPLE. WHEN A CUSTOMER HAS BOUGHT A PRODUCT (100 TIMES MORE THEN THE PRODUCTION COST OR 100 LESS THEN THE PRODUCTION COST) IT BECOMES THE CUSTOMERS LEGITIMATE PROPERTY. ONCE PAID FOR THE PRODUCT – THE CUSTOMER HAS ALL RIGHT TO DO WHAT THE CUSTOMER WANT’S WITH THE PRODUCT ( USE IT, STORE IT, DECORATE IT, BITE IT, HAMMER IT, DISPLAY IT, THROW IT, GIFT IT ETC), ALSO THE CUSTOMER HAS A RIGHT TO GO AS PER OWN FINANCIAL ECONOMY & OPT FOR 25K PARTS REPLACEMENT OR OPT FOR 2K PARTS REPLACEMENT (IT’S COMPLIMENTARY WORK WORTH PRAISE & ENCOURAGEMENT IF ANYONE CAN MANUFACTURER SUCH CONSIDERABLY LOW COST PARTS WITH SAME FUNCTIONS – IN FACT THE COMPANY SHOULD REWARD SUCH HI-TECK BRAINS & MAKE THEM THEIR SPARES SUPPLIERS – THUS GREATLY REDUCING THE PRODUCT COST – OVER RIDING COMPETITION – BENEFITING MANY FOLD MORE CUSTOMERS = LOW MARGIN = VOLCANIC SALES & HIGH TURNOVER / PROFITS). BUT PUTTING A NOOSE AROUND AN UNSUSPECTING CUSTOMER “EITHER YOU SUCCUMB OF FORGET YOUR PRODUCT & MONEY” IS VERY UN-ETHICAL & A CRIME. EITHER THE COMPANY IS RUNNING OUT OF BRAIN CELLS / NEURONS OR IS HANGING OVER THE CLIFF.
IF THE COMPANY WANTS TO STAND UP TO IT’S GOOD REPUTATION & PUBLIC GOOD WILL: THEN EITHER IT SHOULD CLEARLY PUT THESE CONDITIONS ON LEGAL STAMP PAPER WITH 2 WITNESSES, VENDOR & CUSTOMERS SIGNATURES BEFORE SELLING ANY SUCH PRODUCTS. IF REALLY CONFIDENT OF ITS PRODUCTS & DOES NOT WANT ANY ONE TO TAMPER WITH IT’S SOLD PRODUCTS – THE COMPANY SHOULD MAKE THE PRODUCT DAMAGE PROOF (UNDER ANY CONDITION) & OFFER 5 YEARS OR MORE (MORE – ACCORDING TO HIGHER COST) 100% PRODUCT REPLACEMENT (NOT LIMITING TO MANUFACTURING DEFECTS). THIS WILL ADD RESPECT TO REPUTATION IRRELEVANT TO (EVEN IF HIGHEST) COST OF PRODUCT.
OR PROVIDE GENUINE SPARES AT 20% TO 25% HIGHER THEN LOCAL SPARES MARKET & LEAVE THEM INTO OPEN MARKET (WITHOUT ANY RESTRICTIONS) THE COMPANY WILL HAVE PHENOMENAL SALES & AT SUCH LOW DIFFERENCE CUSTOMERS WILL AUTOMATICALLY PREFER THE GENUINE SPARES FOR SUCH COSTLY PRODUCTS.
WISHING WELL FOR THE MANUFACTURERS & USERS / CONSUMERS.
LIFE is a TEST For OUR MORELS, How Well We REACT To SITUATIONS MATTERS. Wish YOU WISDOM & SUCCESS in LIFE.
WITH LOVE & RESPECTS FOR ALL: RKB.
We totally agree with you Rajiv. Although we understand the logic that Apple has given that Touch ID (and related components) manage sensitive data and thus need to be protected from tampering, it doesn’t justify bricking devices and forcing people to buy new products. Like you said, they either need to take the responsibility themselves and offer long-term protection at lesser costs or be open to third party repairs. Let’s hope Apple corrects this move and comes up with a better solution soon.