AppleInsider Staff
Apple on Wednesday released an updated version of iOS 9.2.1 — the current edition of its mobile operating system — that will allow users whose iPhones were bricked by third-party home button repairs to bring their devices back to life.
The patched software — which will not be available over the air — carries build number 13D20 and is flagged for the iPad mini 3 and later, iPad Air 2, and iPhone 6 and later. As noted by TechCrunch, applying the update will make disabled iPhones usable again but will not re-enable Touch ID unless the home button is serviced by Apple.
"We apologize for any inconvenience. This was designed to be a factory test and was not intended to affect customers," Apple said in a statement provided to the website. "Customers who paid for an out-of-warranty replacement of their device based on this issue should contact AppleCare about a reimbursement."
The somewhat bizarre "Error 53" issue first surfaced earlier this month. It caused phones whose home buttons had been replaced by third-party repair shops to fail a security validation, rendering them unusable.
Apple's update and apology comes just over a week after a class action suit was filed over the incident.
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37 Comments
Good. I said as much on the original Guardian article and got flamed for my trouble.
"The patched software -- which will not be available over the air"
I guess it can only be updated using iTunes. Retro!
"the update will make disabled iPhones usable again but will not re-enable Touch ID unless the home button is serviced by Apple."
Touch ID was already disabled the moment the Touch ID sensor was replaced with a non-Touch ID enabled Home Button anyway. Only Apple authorized techs can replace a broken button with a new Touch ID because of the way the sensor interconnects with the secure partition on the A7/8/9 chip, which has been the case since the 5s was released.
If this was never Apple's intention to begin with why didn't they say that from the very beginning and say they were working on a software update to fix it? This gives the appearance that filing a class action lawsuit made Apple change its mind. Or worse this really wasn't Apple's intention but then one has to question how in the hell was it not caught before being pushed to consumers?