Updating iPhone 6 Is Causing ‘Error 53’ For Some: Only Solution To The Problem? Buy A New iPhone

iPhone 6 users around the globe are running into a major problem when they update to the latest iOS 9 firmware. A mysterious "Error 53" message appears on the screen, which cannot be cleared or fixed, effectively bricking the device. And the only solution Apple can provide is to buy a new iPhone.

UPDATE: Apple Will Fix iPhone ‘Error 53’ Problems At Some Stores, Support Personnel Say; Amid Lawsuit Rumors, Company Changes Its Tune

Dubbing Error 53 a hardware problem caused by the user, it’s not covered by the standard warranty. If you’ve followed all of Apple’s standard troubleshooting steps concerning the error and it is still present, then you’re left shelling out your hard-earned cash for a brand new iPhone. To make things worse, any unsaved photos or data from the device are gone forever.

So what is Error 53 and why is it popping up on devices that were working perfectly before updating? Apparently, Error 53 deals with problems related to Touch ID. If users have cracked their screens or some other damage has happened to the fingerprint-sensing Home Button, and they take their iPhones to a non-official Apple repair shop to fix, this is where the trouble begins. When the Touch ID is replaced outside of Apple, (which some 3rd party stores do even when the only fix needed is on the screen) the phone will continue to function, but the Touch ID button no longer works. It becomes like the old home buttons that had no fingerprint sensors. This would be fine with many consumers, but the issues don't stop there. When iPhone 6 users try to update their phones to the latest mobile operating system -- iOS 9 -- it is then they encounter the Error 53, which renders their device unusable because they cannot clear the error. Taking devices to the Apple Genius Bar does no good because once the team runs the diagnostics and discovers Error 53, they swiftly let you know the problem is on you.

But the problem is not only affecting iPhone 6 users who had their devices repaired outside of Apple’s Genius Bar. Indeed, other iPhone users whose screens have been cracked or broken also reported the Error 53 problem. In these cases, visits to the Genius Bar didn’t go much better. According to posts on Apple Discussions forums, some users with broken screens got Error 53 and had to pay for the screen on their devices to be repaired – a $109 setback -- before Apple would replace the device.

The Error 53 issue has a number of loyal Apple customers up in arms over the non-replacement policy. Guardian photographer Antonio Olmos shared his Error 53 horror tale in a post on the site Friday morning. According to Olmos he discovered the cruelty of the Error 53 issue when working a job in Macedonia. The photographer was forced to have his iPhone screen repaired outside of an Apple store because there were none in the area.Though Olmos had long been a customer of Apple, spending thousands on devices and accessories over the years, the Error 53 incident left him feeling angry and jaded.

“The whole thing is extraordinary. How can a company deliberately make their own products useless with an upgrade and not warn their own customers about it? Outside of the big industrialized nations, Apple stores are few and far between, and damaged phones can only be brought back to life by small third-party repairers,” the photographer told the Guardian. “I am not even sure these third-party outfits even know this is a potential problem.”

When asked the reason why the company isn’t budging on the Error 53 issue, an Apple spokesperson said it was to protect users’ data and security.

“We protect fingerprint data using a secure enclave, which is uniquely paired to the Touch ID sensor. 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,” the spokesperson told Money. “This check ensures the device and the iOS features related to Touch ID remain secure. Without this unique pairing, a malicious Touch ID sensor could be substituted, thereby gaining access to the secure enclave. When iOS detects that the pairing fails, Touch ID, including Apple Pay, is disabled so the device remains secure.”

Security has always been a paramount feature of Apple devices and so the company’s position on repairs made outside of an official Apple repair store are consistent with that. This does little, however, to mollify the dissatisfaction of Apple users confronting Error 53 feel.

What do you think of the Error 53 issue? Should Apple amend their warranty policy or is it in the best interest of users to keep it as is? Share with us in the comments below.

​​