Apple is overdoing a security check by bricking people’s iPhones and iPads
Apple is getting flack for a security check in recent iPhone and iPad models that can disable all use of a device when it has been fixed by a non-Apple-certified repair person. Repairs to the home button on an iPhone or iPad, or even screen replacement—a relatively common procedure—can trigger the appearance of an “Error 53” message and disable any further usage. Apple says this error is the result of a security procedure that checks whether a Touch ID sensor in the home button—which enables fingerprint recognition—has been tampered with. “If iOS finds a mismatch, the check fails and Touch ID, including for Apple Pay use, is disabled,” Apple explained in a statement. “This security measure is necessary to protect your device and prevent a fraudulent Touch ID sensor from being used.” The risk is apparently that someone could tamper with the home button and circumvent the fingerprint ID system for unlocking a device or paying with it. That is reasonable, as John Gruber points out o...