http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-35502030
 

The latest software update for iPhone 6 handsets is allegedly rendering the devices useless if it detects repairs not carried out by Apple.
 
The problem is known as "error 53" and has appeared in Apple products before.
The Guardian reports that users' phones were disabled after the Touch ID home button was repaired by a non-Apple engineer.
 
The issue appears to arise once devices have been updated to the latest operating system, iOS 9.
In its report, the Guardian cites the experiences of a freelance photographer, Antonio Olmos, who says the problem occurred on his phone after he upgraded its software.
 
"When Olmos, who says he has spent thousands of pounds on Apple products over the years, took it to an Apple store in London, staff told him there was nothing they could do, and that his phone was now junk," the paper notes.

 
The government should step in, force Apple to allow consumers to choose any place they want to repair the device. It should be illegal for any mfg to brick a device like that. I could see this turning into a class action lawsuit.

MSim
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-35502030
 

The latest software update for iPhone 6 handsets is allegedly rendering the devices useless if it detects repairs not carried out by Apple. 
The problem is known as "error 53" and has appeared in Apple products before.
The Guardian reports that users' phones were disabled after the Touch ID home button was repaired by a non-Apple engineer.
 
The issue appears to arise once devices have been updated to the latest operating system, iOS 9.
In its report, the Guardian cites the experiences of a freelance photographer, Antonio Olmos, who says the problem occurred on his phone after he upgraded its software.
 
"When Olmos, who says he has spent thousands of pounds on Apple products over the years, took it to an Apple store in London, staff told him there was nothing they could do, and that his phone was now junk," the paper notes.

 
The government should step in, force Apple to allow consumers to choose any place they want to repair the device. It should be illegal for any mfg to brick a device like that. I could see this turning into a class action lawsuit.

Actually the government caused this in the first place in a roundabout way. The 'kill switch' law passed in California for example. Apple determined that for security they would decide valid replacement of touch-ID if damaged. I doubt if any state government especially California would be able to make such a law that would contradict their own 'kill switch' law. From Apple's perspective this is the only valid method to make sure phone security is not tampered with. That is yet another reason I'll stay with Android.

Halo_003
Interesting. I think the big takeaway here is don't break your iPhone lol.

ManBearPig
People still buy Apple products why?

I have an iPhone for a couple of reasons: it works. It is unbelievably reliable, the voice control/integration is excellent for if you're driving and get a text ("hey SIRI read me that text" for example). I used to have an old Samsung android, then a Nexus 5, and both had the problem of being so unreliable that they were just frustrating to use. Random crashes, xxxxx app has stopped working, android updates would cause massive slowdowns, and horrible quality cameras.

On the other hand my iPhone 6 has been rock solid, zero crashes, a switch for silent mode is a big feature for me, haven't had any slowdowns, quite a decent camera, etc. I can't speak for any other products, but my iPhone experience has been pretty flawless.

I'll agree with you on the Nexus 5 which is why I never bought one. The Nexus 6 and 6p however are really good phones. I don't much care for Samsung phones because of the bloatware. I like my Motorola X Style because it is very close to pure Android with only a few changes.
 
The iphone 6s is a good phone but priced way out of my budget.

rjohnson11

Halo_003
Interesting. I think the big takeaway here is don't break your iPhone lol.

ManBearPig
People still buy Apple products why?

I have an iPhone for a couple of reasons: it works. It is unbelievably reliable, the voice control/integration is excellent for if you're driving and get a text ("hey SIRI read me that text" for example). I used to have an old Samsung android, then a Nexus 5, and both had the problem of being so unreliable that they were just frustrating to use. Random crashes, xxxxx app has stopped working, android updates would cause massive slowdowns, and horrible quality cameras.

On the other hand my iPhone 6 has been rock solid, zero crashes, a switch for silent mode is a big feature for me, haven't had any slowdowns, quite a decent camera, etc. I can't speak for any other products, but my iPhone experience has been pretty flawless.

I'll agree with you on the Nexus 5 which is why I never bought one. The Nexus 6 and 6p however are really good phones. I don't much care for Samsung phones because of the bloatware. I like my Motorola X Style because it is very close to pure Android with only a few changes.
 
The iphone 6s is a good phone but priced way out of my budget.

I like Android on a tablet, but I think that iOS is a vastly superior phone OS. I love the look of the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge, but i just feel like Android is far too clumdy to use on a phone on the go.

Halo_003

rjohnson11

Halo_003
Interesting. I think the big takeaway here is don't break your iPhone lol.

ManBearPig
People still buy Apple products why?

I have an iPhone for a couple of reasons: it works. It is unbelievably reliable, the voice control/integration is excellent for if you're driving and get a text ("hey SIRI read me that text" for example). I used to have an old Samsung android, then a Nexus 5, and both had the problem of being so unreliable that they were just frustrating to use. Random crashes, xxxxx app has stopped working, android updates would cause massive slowdowns, and horrible quality cameras.

On the other hand my iPhone 6 has been rock solid, zero crashes, a switch for silent mode is a big feature for me, haven't had any slowdowns, quite a decent camera, etc. I can't speak for any other products, but my iPhone experience has been pretty flawless.

I'll agree with you on the Nexus 5 which is why I never bought one. The Nexus 6 and 6p however are really good phones. I don't much care for Samsung phones because of the bloatware. I like my Motorola X Style because it is very close to pure Android with only a few changes.
 
The iphone 6s is a good phone but priced way out of my budget.

I like Android on a tablet, but I think that iOS is a vastly superior phone OS. I love the look of the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge, but i just feel like Android is far too clumdy to use on a phone on the go.

I have never used iOS on a phone, but I may agree with you if I had the experience to know.  Lacking a back button or a menu button on a Apple products is a short-sighted limitation in my opinion, but that's for a different topic.  But, what I will say as a counterpoint is that while iOS may be better for a phone on the go, Android is better on a tablet.  My opinion at least.  I owned an iPad for 2 or 3 years.  I hated it.  I never used it.  It wasn't that the tablet was bad or that I couldn't physically use it or that I had no use for it.  It was that the operating system was way too plain for me and rather unusable.  I hated that every app ran in its own little sandbox and that it was impossibly frustrating to do something as simple as downloading a zip file from a website, extracting it, opening an extracted file, editing it, saving it, and uploading with FTP.  I dare you to attempt that process with iOS.  Every step requires exporting and importing and finding just the right tools to make it possible and finding online services to intermediate for you and ...  Horrible.  If you just Facebook or browse the net, I am sure it is fine.  On a phone, it's annoying to do the above process on a small screen anyway, so it's not an argument I can make for Android phone versus Apple phone.

rjohnson11
 
Actually the government caused this in the first place in a roundabout way. The 'kill switch' law passed in California for example. Apple determined that for security they would decide valid replacement of touch-ID if damaged. I doubt if any state government especially California would be able to make such a law that would contradict their own 'kill switch' law. From Apple's perspective this is the only valid method to make sure phone security is not tampered with. That is yet another reason I'll stay with Android.

Apple is just using that as an excuse to force customers into using Apple over priced repair centers. Replacing a cracked screen has nothing to do with phone security.  People say it's about the home button that doubles a finger print scanner. The scanner has built in memory to store finger prints, one would think that should be stored in a lock portion of the phone.
 

transdogmifier
Windows phone?? *gag*
 
No thank you;)

My next phone will be a Windows 10 phone. Something like the 950xl.


OR because I have really enjoyed my LG G3 I think a G5 would be in order ( if there is a G5 when my contract ends).

transdogmifier
Windows phone?? *gag*
 
No thank you;)

Yeah black berry is the best.

Anyway I repair iPhone's at work a lot and I mean a lot and have never seen this before. Could be fake or a regional thing.

I replaced the home button screen and battery on a 6s the other week and the phone had ios9 on it. I do use real Apple parts, maybe that's why?

Here we go Class action possible against Apple
 
A Seattle law firm considering a class action suit against Apple wants iPhone users whose devices have been crippled by "Error 53" to contact their office.
The firm -- Pfau, Cochran, Vertetis, Amala (PCVA) -- said on its website that it is "investigating a potential class action lawsuit against Apple," and asked owners of iPhone 6, 6 Plus and their successors to fill out a form "if you have encountered 'Error 53.'"
 
http://www.infoworld.com/article/3031832/smartphones/law-firm-searches-for-plaintiffs-for-class-action-suit-against-apple-over-error-53.html?
 
 "Error 53 is the result of security checks designed to protect our customers," an Apple spokesperson said in an emailed statement. "iOS checks that the Touch ID sensor in your iPhone or iPad correctly matches your device's other components. If iOS finds a mismatch, the check fails and Touch ID, including for Apple Pay use, is disabled. This security measure is necessary to protect your device and prevent a fraudulent Touch ID sensor from being used."

I saw that post about the Bricking, this article is about the class action lawsuit