Error53, Iphone6 is Bricked

[ls99]

Seems apple has new tricks up their sleeve.

If a third party repaired/replaced the home button AND later upgrade it to IOS9, the phone will be renedred a fine looking paperweight with zero chance of recovery of anything from it.

The one and only apple product I own is a ipod touch 4 gen, bought used, it the last apple device I will ever own.

Thus if you dropped your nice iphone6 and Joe down the corner shop fixed it, DO pass on IOS9.

‘Error 53’ fury mounts as Apple software update threatens to kill your iPhone 6 | Money | The Guardian

 

[Senator]

Isn't there a way to restore it back to the factory settings?

 

[harley]

Not according to the article. Bricked. Absolutely, with no possibility of even recovering your data.

 

[W2R]

That's awful. First you have to pay an arm and a leg for the phone, then you have to pay monthly charges to your carrier for data, and then this. Having it bricked like that would be the last straw.

I wonder how many people are getting fed up with their iPhones like I am. I have had an iPhone for years, and currently have an iPhone 5S. However, there is a limit to what I will spend on a phone and I might go for something cheaper eventually. What I need from a phone is a phone - - the rest of it is just a toy to me and not worth what it costs.

 

[braumeister]

I recently bought an iPhone 6S, my 4th iPhone in all. Very happy with it.

IMHO, Apple's explanation in the linked article was quite reasonable. Also, I feel the iPhone is such a complex, sophisticated device that I would never consider having repairs made by anyone but an Apple-authorized technician.

 

[target2019]

The situation with Apple and their proprietary hardware goes back to forever. Eventually you are cornered, and must take your wallet out.

 

[NW-Bound]

My children and my son-in-law have all abandoned iPhone and are now using Android phones.

 

[fosterscik]

While I appreciate the frustration, I think Apple has a valid point

A spokeswoman for Apple told Money (get ready for a jargon overload): “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. 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.”

I rely heavily on fingerprint security. I don't want my fingerprint hacked or my data compromised if I lose my phone.

 

[mpeirce]

Seems apple has new tricks up their sleeve.

If a third party repaired/replaced the home button AND later upgrade it to IOS9, the phone will be renedred a fine looking paperweight with zero chance of recovery of anything from it.

The one and only apple product I own is a ipod touch 4 gen, bought used, it the last apple device I will ever own.

Thus if you dropped your nice iphone6 and Joe down the corner shop fixed it, DO pass on IOS9.

Oh please. One of the features of the iPhone is it's security. The iPhone security architecture is very impressive (from a technical standpoint and I'm a (retired!) engineer). The iPhone is built from the ground up for data protection.

From the moment it's turned on it's checking it's integrity at each step of the way. If it finds something fishy - LIKE SOME NONE SECURE HARDWARE - it refuses to operate.

The home button IS THE FINGER PRINT READER. ITS KINDA IMPORTANT. It's like the LOCK on your house/car/safe. Would you let some random person replace the locks?

The linked article is simple FUD.

 

[athena53]

The situation with Apple and their proprietary hardware goes back to forever. Eventually you are cornered, and must take your wallet out.

If I had to take my wallet out because of this failure, it would be to buy another brand of phone. I'm an Apple shareholder and have an iPhone 5 but think this is pretty awful. I'm posting the link on FB. It may be "for your protection" but it seems to have been an unhappy surprise to many users. The fact that their only fix is "buy a new phone" is just plain wrong.

 

[RetireAge50]

Glad to hear the phone won't work if home button replaced. It is great just to put your finger on the button and view bank/credit card info without entering user names and passwords.

I have had 4 iPhones and never needed to repair one. Also only have had to purchase the first one as all the new ones are free (after selling the old one).

 

[tulak]

I recently bought an iPhone 6S, my 4th iPhone in all. Very happy with it.



IMHO, Apple's explanation in the linked article was quite reasonable. Also, I feel the iPhone is such a complex, sophisticated device that I would never consider having repairs made by anyone but an Apple-authorized technician.

+1

My iPhone is more than a phone. I hardly even use it as a phone. Instead it's almost a PC replacement, plus a whole lot more. I use my phone for communicating with family and friends, all around the world, tracking and simple management of finances, reading books, browsing the internet, gps/maps, tracking fitness data, a camera and photo album, figuring out when the next bus is coming, translating foreign text, figuring out the name of the song playing in the background, listening to music/podcasts, and most importantly, reading the ER forum. And the real bonus is I can do this wherever I'm at. Sure it's pricier, but considering how much I can do, it seems like a good deal to me.

I'm also ok with Apple's policies. When you buy their product, you're buying into their ecosystem. Part of that is realizing that they control it any way they want, mostly to maintain a good customer experience. I've tried the other ecosystems, and while they're not bad, I prefer Apple's. For the most part, everything just works and works well. TouchID is a great example and something that I would only allow an authorized Apple repair shop fix, not only to make sure it's done right, but also to make sure it's still secure.

 

[tulak]

I'll add one more item regarding broken iPhones. This hasn't happened to me, but my son had the unfortunate experience of walking into the ocean with his iPhone in his pocket. He was there all of 10 seconds before he realized what he did and his iPhone never recovered. We went to the Apple Store and they replaced his iPhone for $250. He didn't have any insurance covering his phone. While not cheap, I didn't think this was too expensive either, considering they gave him a new device. At the time he had a top of the line iPhone 5s.

 

[target2019]

If I had to take my wallet out because of this failure, it would be to buy another brand of phone. I'm an Apple shareholder and have an iPhone 5 but think this is pretty awful. I'm posting the link on FB. It may be "for your protection" but it seems to have been an unhappy surprise to many users. The fact that their only fix is "buy a new phone" is just plain wrong.

I have been relatively close to Apple products 1984-2016, and have heard similar frustration from clients. The hardware is proprietary. That was lesson 1 way back.

I use an iPhone 4, if you can believe it. Handed down, and it's ok. I did this because I am super cheap about utilitarian technology. Hardly ever buy a new system or phone. But getting close to needing a replacement, or replace battery. I give a lot of weight to how problems are handled by big company. At times Apple is very generous, and then they can be incredibly stupid.

 

[athena53]

At times Apple is very generous, and then they can be incredibly stupid.

I agree. When I left my last job I asked about keeping the company-issued iPhone 4. This was around the time 5gs were rolled out. Boss said yeah, if you pay us $500. Ummm, no. I lasted about 3 days before buying a 5g for $550. I use it constantly.

What bothers me about this "feature" is that you know darn well Apple has every jot and tittle of your apps, history, etc. either in iTunes on your computer or in their server. If they didn't, it wouldn't magically appear on a new phone. Still, they chose to develop software that permanently disabled the phone and their response is, "we can't fix it- buy a new one".

 

[Chuckanut]

Our 'phones' are now very sophisticated pocket computers and need to be treated with the same level of security as any computer we keep valuable data on. If one wants a phone that is pretty much just a phone, then their are cheaper alternatives than an iPhone or the Android smart phones.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feature_phone

A feature phone is a class of mobile phone; the term is typically used as a retronym to describe low-end mobile phones which are limited in capabilities in contrast to a modern smartphone.

FWIW, I would love a new iPhone 6s but the price scares me so I keep my four year old iPhone for the time being.

FWIW2, I had an Android phone, a 'state of the art' phone when it was purchased. About 20 months into the two year contract (no more of those for me!) it started to reboot every night at 2 A.m. It kept rebooting over and over, shouting a loud "DROID" message with every reboot until I turned it off. Then it was fine until 2 AM the next morning. You can imagine that I was not fond of this behavior. I contacted the phone manufacturer, Google, and the cell phone company I bought the phone from. They all pointed the guilty finger at the other two. I got no fix whatsoever. On top of that I was two releases behind on the Android OS with no time frame for an update. So, I had a very annoying phone I could not keep on at night, and was a security risk as it was running an old OS with known security problems. When the contract was up, I bought an unlocked iPhone and and teamed it with a pay as you go cell phone service. I have had no problems with the phone and it still runs the current OS, slowly of course.

 

[ls99]

Oh please. One of the features of the iPhone is it's security. The iPhone security architecture is very impressive (from a technical standpoint and I'm a (retired!) engineer). The iPhone is built from the ground up for data protection.

..........
The linked article is simple FUD.

I appreciate security. Which is why I don't keep anything valuable on a portable device, which can easily grow legs and disappear.

The least apple could do is give a warning BEFORE installing the bricking software that the new software will render the device useles and no option for recovering anything.

Apple=Arrogance cubed.

 

[tulak]

I appreciate security. Which is why I don't keep anything valuable on a portable device, which can easily grow legs and disappear.

The least apple could do is give a warning BEFORE installing the bricking software that the new software will render the device useles and no option for recovering anything.

Apple=Arrogance cubed.

I'm wondering why this bothers you if you don't even own an iPhone?

Sure, Apple has restrictive policies and some of these are upsetting to their customers. If they don't like it, they can buy a competing product.

I read the article and I'm left with the impression that you only get this error if the home button component has been tampered with. I think that's a good thing. I'd hate to hear the outcry against Apple if thieves were able to circumvent TouchID somehow and access people's data on stolen iPhones. I feel better knowing that Apple's restrictive policies are helping make my data a little bit safer.

 

[ls99]

I'm wondering why this bothers you if you don't even own an iPhone?

Sure, Apple has restrictive policies and some of these are upsetting to their customers. If they don't like it, they can buy a competing product.

I read the article and I'm left with the impression that you only get this error if the home button component has been tampered with. I think that's a good thing. I'd hate to hear the outcry against Apple if thieves were able to circumvent TouchID somehow and access people's data on stolen iPhones. I feel better knowing that Apple's restrictive policies are helping make my data a little bit safer.

One does not need to own a device to recognize obnoxious company policies. As for buying competing products, kind of annoying doling out many hundreds of bucks for a device, an associated phone account often on long term contract, then be rewarded with a software update that turns in into paperweight. THEN have to out and buy something else. This bricking feature was not public knowledge, nor was it explained prior to purchase to loyal customers

Just a peccadillo on my part to observe how obnoxious a company can get and still have loyal folks consume their coolaid.

I prefer dumb cellphone, and my new to me 4 years ago ipod touch 4th gen (it was very cheap and sold to me by next door neighbor who was fed up with apple) until it dies, then I'm done with apple. The device only contains music and videos for my figure skating endeavors. It was maximally annoying enough to deal with apple's sync feature. Fortunately VLC is a wonderful app.

BTW fingerprint recognition can be and has been hacked, albeit not yet Iphone 6 that I know of. I have no doubt it will be done. It is not an easy task, but doable.

EDIT ADD:
The article is from 2013, about fingerprint hacking.


http://www.informationweek.com/it-leadership/apple-fingerprint-hack-a-great-reminder/d/d-id/1111649

 

[Music Lover]

My iPhone is more than a phone. I hardly even use it as a phone. Instead it's almost a PC replacement, plus a whole lot more. I use my phone for communicating with family and friends, all around the world, tracking and simple management of finances, reading books, browsing the internet, gps/maps, tracking fitness data, a camera and photo album, figuring out when the next bus is coming, translating foreign text, figuring out the name of the song playing in the background, listening to music/podcasts, and most importantly, reading the ER forum. And the real bonus is I can do this wherever I'm at. Sure it's pricier, but considering how much I can do, it seems like a good deal to me.

With a couple minor exceptions, all those things can be done with any inexpensive 2 or 3 prior generations Android phone.

 

[ChiliPepr]

I'd hate to hear the outcry against Apple if thieves were able to circumvent TouchID somehow and access people's data on stolen iPhones. I feel better knowing that Apple's restrictive policies are helping make my data a little bit safer.

+1

Imagine if someone could take apart the phone, add a non-compliant print sensor that allowed the phone to be unlocked. which is worse? A bricked phone, or a stolen phone that someone can unlock?

Apple also does not allow a locked phone to be re-formated and then used. If you do not know the apple id that the phone was registered to it is bricked. You die and your SO does not have your apple ID or phone password, there is no way for them to access the phone. Find a locked phone on the street, it is only good as a doorstop. Has reduced the amount of stolen phone.

 

[audreyh1]

So I'll be sure not to let a third party mess with my iPhone or iPad. I like the fingerprint home button and rely on the security it provides.

 

[ERD50]

...

I read the article and I'm left with the impression that you only get this error if the home button component has been tampered with. I think that's a good thing. I'd hate to hear the outcry against Apple if thieves were able to circumvent TouchID somehow and access people's data on stolen iPhones. I feel better knowing that Apple's restrictive policies are helping make my data a little bit safer.

+1

Imagine if someone could take apart the phone, add a non-compliant print sensor that allowed the phone to be unlocked. which is worse? A bricked phone, or a stolen phone that someone can unlock?

Sure, but I don't understand why the phone should be 'bricked' after this? That seems like a poor option.

(and for those unfamiliar with the term, a 'bricked' device is one where the unit is locked out to the extent that it is not practical to unlock it - maybe not impossible, but it would require replacing key components, and likely re-programming some keys that only the OEM would have access to. At this point, the device is as useful as a brick, in terms of performing any electronic functions. It's dead, Jim)​

I don't own any fingerprint recognition devices, I assume this is for convenience only, and that there is an alternate way in - like through a password entry (otherwise, if your hand were in a cast, your phone would be locked forever?)? So why wouldn't the phone simply fail to accept any fingerprint input from an un-authorized device, and force you to use the password? Doesn't that provide adequate protection, w/o destroying the user's phone? And as other's said, it should have given this warning earlier - getting it bricked as part of a SW upgrade is very bad form. I'd be PO'd (regardless of the manufacturer).

Edit/add: Imagine if your car alarm permanently destroyed the engine and transmission when it sensed an attempt at stealing it. Heck, you sure would not want someone to get away with your car! I think we agree, there are better options than destroying the thing.

-ERD50

 

[btdt22]

Edit/add: Imagine if your car alarm permanently destroyed the engine and transmission when it sensed an attempt at stealing it. Heck, you sure would not want someone to get away with your car! I think we agree, there are better options than destroying the thing.
-ERD50

My car does not have access to my credit card and bank accounts. I refuse to let anyone access all of the data on my smartphone unless they are an authorized Apple representative...and even when using that option I will be nervous over giving access to all of my data

 

[Chuckanut]

BTW fingerprint recognition can be and has been hacked, albeit not yet Iphone 6 that I know of. I have no doubt it will be done. It is not an easy task, but doable.

Of course it has. It's a game with a moving target, and no ending. Security will be increased, the criminals will find away around it, there will be another increase......... and on and on and on.........

Security is never perfect but it beats leaving the front door unlocked, open, with the alarm system turned off.