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Apple Says Sorry For iPhone Error 53 and Issues IOS 9.2.1 Update To Fix It (betanews.com)
Mark Wilson writes: Apple has a lot of support at the moment for its stance on encryption and refusing the FBI access to an iPhone's contents, but it's only a couple of weeks since the company was seen in a less favorable light. There was quite a backlash when users found that installing an update to iOS resulted in Error 53 and a bricked iPhone. Apple initially said that Error 53 was caused 'for security reasons' following speculation that it was a bid to stop people from using third party repair shops. iFixit suggested that the problem was a result of a failure of parts to correctly sync, and Apple has been rounding criticized for failing to come up with a fix. Today the company has issued an apology, along with an update that ensures Error 53 won't happen again. But there's more good news ... If you were talked into paying for an out of warranty replacement as a result of Error 53, you could be in line to get your money back.
This update doesn't re-enable TouchID. It simply allows people to unlock using their passcode.
More or less, the Secure Enclave can be accessed via user passcode or TouchID. Error 53 was a means of securing iPhones against possible breaches resulting from the use of untrusted TouchID components, but the approach was overly heavy-handed, since it also prevented users from using their passcode. This update restores that ability, while still disabling the untrusted, third-party TouchID components.
The Touch ID sensor died on my wife's iPhone 6S, and it prevented the iOS 9.2.1 update from installing even after doing a factory reset.
The Apple Store couldn't fix the issue, so she got a brand new phone out of the deal. Good thing the phone was still under warranty!
Now what will happen is you'll use a insecure sensor, apple will still allow the phone to boot, and a bunch of dumbasses will go ahead and use the phone with a compromised sensor
You mean, what happens now? You do realize that Error 53 doesn't happen immediately (it would possibly be a security feature if it did) but, instead, happens weeks or months later when software updates are applied. A proper security feature would be deactivating power and data pins for the sensor if it fails to authenticate itself at boot, permanently disabling it after a set number of failures. No need to disable the entire phone; the non-working sensor should alert the user to the problem.
APK quotes people (including myself) without context and should not be trusted. Just thought you should know.
The other great part about this is ... its because people are cheaping out on a repair for a $650+ device. People are idiots. Buy a cheap repair, you deserve your phone bricked for stupidity.
You are travelling and in some 3rd world location, it might be for your job. You might need your phone for survival (trust me, if you travel in out of the way places a smart phone really can be a survival accessory). The screen breaks. Shipping it to a certified Apple repair place might take months and cost rather a lot, what with secure shipping etc. So you get it repaired locally. It happens and its not 'cheaping out'.
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