Apple bricking iPhones that have been 3rd party repaired

Apple bricking iPhones that have been 3rd party repaired

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hornetrider

Original Poster:

63,161 posts

204 months

Saturday 6th February 2016
quotequote all
Oh deary me. Got an iPhone 6/S and ios9? Had a screen repaired by a 3rd party? Watch out for error 53.

http://www.theguardian.com/money/2016/feb/05/error...

What a lovely company. Looking forward to the fanboys justifying this 'security' update hehe

saaby93

32,038 posts

177 months

Saturday 6th February 2016
quotequote all
Is it true though scratchchin

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

The claim is that the software can detect if a screen has been replaced
How can it to do that?
It's like a car detecting if the exhaust has been replaced
Is there some secret chip in the screen that it checks?
Or is it coincidence and there's some other fault

essayer

9,008 posts

193 months

Saturday 6th February 2016
quotequote all
It's the home button component - often replaced along with the screen. If the new software detects a different serial number you get the error. Older software didn't check.

Will kill the second hand Iphone market! Would you want to take the risk?

Can see the EU getting involved with this one.

R8VXF

6,788 posts

114 months

Saturday 6th February 2016
quotequote all
saaby93 said:
Is it true though scratchchin

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

The claim is that the software can detect if a screen has been replaced
How can it to do that?
It's like a car detecting if the exhaust has been replaced
Is there some secret chip in the screen that it checks?
Or is it coincidence and there's some other fault
Very easy to detect. All screens have microchips with a serial number.

And if you had read the article you posted, it has a quote from Apple confirming it...

Driver101

14,376 posts

120 months

Saturday 6th February 2016
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That's got to be illegal if true?

Blaster72

10,772 posts

196 months

Saturday 6th February 2016
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Sounds like they've had their finger burnt and someone has figured out how to fool the touch id system with a shonky sensor.

I'm sure some tech site will come out with the full story eventually.

t400ble

1,804 posts

120 months

Saturday 6th February 2016
quotequote all
More stolen cars = They sell more cars

Honestly puts me off buying a BMW or Jaguar\Land Rover product. Too easy to clone a new key.

Orchid1

877 posts

107 months

Saturday 6th February 2016
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They need people to buy new iphones to pay for that overpriced new building they're constructing.

Durzel

12,232 posts

167 months

Saturday 6th February 2016
quotequote all
anonymous said:
[redacted]
The thing is though, why is it only manifesting now? People have apparently gone from having a repaired device that works, to one that doesn't.

It kinda seems punitative when you consider what happens when you encounter this "error 53" issue. You try and update your phone, you get the error, your phone is now bricked, unable to restore to a previous version or boot. There's no warning that this might happen, or that it's unrecoverable so it's not unreasonable that people who have been using a third party repaired phone for months without issue would not expect a software update to do this.

Let's not forget that for all the supposed well intentioned "secure enclave" comments, people were seemingly able to use repaired phones with replaced home buttons and screens etc before this software check was added.

Edited by Durzel on Saturday 6th February 09:39

Durzel

12,232 posts

167 months

Saturday 6th February 2016
quotequote all
anonymous said:
[redacted]
It's more akin to BMW saying "these are the tyres we certify for your vehicle, for safety and performance", and then you taking it to Kwik-Fit to get them fitted because BMW want double the price. Then, on your next service, when they update the software on the car's ECU it detects you've got new tyres but no corresponding dealer record of them having been bought from them - so the ECU prevents the engine from being started.

Oh, and it bursts into flames destroying anything personal you happened to have stored in it.

edit: I get the desire to ensure data security through measures like this, I champion it in fact, but ultimately it's MY personal data at stake, not Apples. If I get my phone repaired outside of their network it's MY choice as to whether or not this potentially risks my data, not Apples to decide unilaterally that "it's best you don't have a working phone that you bought and paid for, it's for your own good".

Edited by Durzel on Saturday 6th February 09:52

Durzel

12,232 posts

167 months

Saturday 6th February 2016
quotequote all
anonymous said:
[redacted]
Sorry, missed your second post before replying boxedin

hornetrider

Original Poster:

63,161 posts

204 months

Saturday 6th February 2016
quotequote all
anonymous said:
[redacted]
I understand the issue thanks. There's no need to brick the phone. At all. Why not scramble the data and be able to restore it from the Mac it's backed up to?

Because £££ that's why. They are trying to kill off the 3rd party repair market. Security my left bk.

Mr E

21,581 posts

258 months

Saturday 6th February 2016
quotequote all
Disabling Touch ID when detecting the component change would achieve the desired aim?

Durzel

12,232 posts

167 months

Saturday 6th February 2016
quotequote all
Gonna sound like I'm on a crusade now..

The absolute worst thing about this in my opinion is that it will not change anything. Tomorrow it'll be yesterday's chip paper. People will buy the iPhone 7 in droves, never pausing to think about how this and other behaviours (we all know how anti-jailbreaking Apple is) restricts their own choices to do what they want with what they own.

There is a depressingly high number of people who are accepting of this kind of behaviour, worse - they champion it. It's like some kind of Stockholm Syndrome, various forums awash with people criticising anyone who takes issue with this behaviour. "You shouldn't have taken it to anywhere other than Apple to get repaired", "so what if it costs £236 for Apple to do the same job as a third party charging a fraction of this, it's a premium phone ", etc. People welcome their civil liberties being curtailed by a huge corporation, on a device they bought and paid for.

This sort of crap wouldn't fly at all with cars, and doesn't thanks to Block Exemption rules. A manufacturer can't disclaim warranty for cars taken outside of their network for work.

saaby93

32,038 posts

177 months

Saturday 6th February 2016
quotequote all
anonymous said:
[redacted]
Jeez when did that phrase become common usage smash
Same when the weather forecasters began talking about the 'here and now' rather than 'the weather'


bitchstewie

50,767 posts

209 months

Saturday 6th February 2016
quotequote all
I can see Apple's reasoning and understand it tbh, but I can also see why a lot of people would be pissed off if they'd had repairs done and all of a sudden their iPhone's stopped working.

They'll still go buy a 7 though.

DrTre

12,955 posts

231 months

Saturday 6th February 2016
quotequote all
bhstewie said:
I can see Apple's reasoning and understand it tbh, but I can also see why a lot of people would be pissed off if they'd had repairs done and all of a sudden their iPhone's stopped working.

They'll still go buy a 7 though.
Assuming the justification to be true, and I've no reason to say it's not, then i agree too (though I can't shake the feeling it's something that is true but they've used it as an excuse after the fact..."Error 53" seems a distinctly un-Apple way to inform the user)

I think the bit that they've possibly fked up on is not ensuring:
a) it's more widely publicised - but I guess it's in their T&C's
and
b) that the phone isn't simply encrypted and locked, to be unlocked at an official Apple store.


Edited by DrTre on Saturday 6th February 15:58

twister

1,450 posts

235 months

Saturday 6th February 2016
quotequote all
anonymous said:
[redacted]
Which is a perfectly acceptable reason for preventing access to the touch sensor if it can't be authenticated, in the same way that I know my rooted Android phone won't let me use certain security-conscious apps. What is very much not acceptable is to brick the entire phone, especially when no warning is given and with no option to rollback to the earlier iOS.

essayer

9,008 posts

193 months

Saturday 6th February 2016
quotequote all
Surely they could have just wiped all touch and Apple Pay info instead of bricking the phone confused

kazste

5,663 posts

197 months

Saturday 6th February 2016
quotequote all
If this is a security issue with the touch id then like others have said just disable this function, no need whatsoever to brick the whole phone.
There must be more to it otherwise surely theres no way they can do this without expecting people to question the practice.

As for apples stance jail broken phones i agree with the stance to be honest as if a jailbroken phone goes wrong all the public would hear is there is a problem with iPhones