Read the article, this is different.
"The home button has two functions: Touch ID, which unlocks the phone, and the actual "return to home" function you get when you push it. In the iPhone 5S, 6, and 6S, a new home button would break the phone's TouchID functionality, but the button's return-to-home functionality still worked. The phone could still be locked and unlocked as normal by entering a pin number, suggesting that the two functions are separate pieces of software that are not tied together.
In the iPhone 7, both Touch ID and return-to-home functionality are locked by software if you replace the button. Locking down Touch ID makes at least some sense from a security perspective, but locking return-to-home functionality seems like an arbitrary and vindictive move against independent repair businesses and consumers. Apple did not respond to a request for comment about the issue."
Hey, author of the article here... this is distinct from the 5S / 6 / 6S software lock and is not "old," it's a different thing that is explained in the article! Imagine that.
Slashdot Mirror
Read the article, this is different. "The home button has two functions: Touch ID, which unlocks the phone, and the actual "return to home" function you get when you push it. In the iPhone 5S, 6, and 6S, a new home button would break the phone's TouchID functionality, but the button's return-to-home functionality still worked. The phone could still be locked and unlocked as normal by entering a pin number, suggesting that the two functions are separate pieces of software that are not tied together. In the iPhone 7, both Touch ID and return-to-home functionality are locked by software if you replace the button. Locking down Touch ID makes at least some sense from a security perspective, but locking return-to-home functionality seems like an arbitrary and vindictive move against independent repair businesses and consumers. Apple did not respond to a request for comment about the issue."
Hey, author of the article here ... this is distinct from the 5S / 6 / 6S software lock and is not "old," it's a different thing that is explained in the article! Imagine that.
This is addressed in the article. All that shit is illegal, too