You may have heard about Error 53 affecting iPhones, but what exactly is it and what can you do if your phone has it? Find out all the info you need below.
What is “Error 53”?
Apple’s official statement on Error 53 is “We take customer security very seriously and Error 53 is the result of security checks designed to protect our customers. 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. If a customer encounters Error 53, we encourage them to contact Apple Support.”
In short, Error 53 means the Touch ID sensor in your phone (the fingerprint sensor) has failed to pass a security check, and because of this your phone will not update or restore its iOS software. The most likely reason for this, Apple say, is repairs involving the home button performed by non-authorised repair centres. This may not actually be a new error, rather it seems that the latest iOS update has introduced more stringent hardware checks result in the recent spate of reports.
There’s actually pretty sound logic behind Apple’s decision to place the Touch ID sensor under such close scrutiny – it’s the key to Apple Pay, your iTunes account and any other apps you have set up to use it which can include online shopping and banking . As such you want to be absolutely certain that it hasn’t been compromised in any way.
Which phones are affected?
Since Error 53 relates to the Touch ID sensor only iPhones that have this feature can be affected, namely the iPhone 6, 6 Plus, 6S and 6S Plus. Whilst the iPhone 5S does also have TouchID there’s so far been no reports of it falling foul of the error.
What are the symptoms?
Error 53 is by and large a fatal error, if you try to restore or update your phone the Touch ID check will fail, and then the restore will fail leaving you with a dead iPhone. If you try to restore or update you will just get the same problem over and over, whilst attempting to connect the phone to iTunes will result in the dreaded “Error 53” message.
Are Geek Squad repairs affected?
No, Geek Squad is a fully-accredited Apple repair partner so you don’t need to worry!
How can I avoid Error 53?
Since Apple have said that the error is a result of third-party repairs the best thing you can do is make sure you always use an authorised Apple repair centre if your device needs fixing. All Geek Squad repairs are Apple-approved and won’t affect your manufacturer’s warranty; you can drop your phone into any Carphone Warehouse store to take advantage of our services. You can also take your phone to an Apple store Genius Bar if there’s one near you.
We’d also recommend making sure your device is regularly backed up to ensure you don’t lose any data should you be unlucky enough to be affected by the error, or indeed any other issues with your device. We’d recommend regular backups to iCloud, together with an occasional backup to your computer through iTunes to be doubly secure – you can never have too many backups!
What can I do if my phone has Error 53?
If your phone has been repaired by Apple or an authorised repair centre
Contact the repair centre.
Whilst the error is only supposed to affect third-party repairs the security around Touch ID sensor is understandably very sensitive. That being the case it’s certainly feasible that the error could potentially occur after a fully-authorised repair, however in those situations you’re still covered by the manufacturer’s warranty.
If your phone has been repaired by a third-party
Contact Apple support.
If your phone hasn’t, to your knowledge, ever been repaired
Contact your retailer. This error shouldn’t affect phones that haven’t had repair work done, but without knowing everything about it it’s impossible to be 100% sure. It’s certainly not much of a stretch of the imagination to see how a faulty home button could perhaps cause Error 53, but the chances of it happening are probably very low. If it does happen speaking to your retailer is the best place to start.