Apple fixes 'Error 53' and apologizes to customers for bricking iPhones

Apple is apologizing — and fixing — the "Error 53" bug that left some iPhone devices bricked

The basic problem occurs if your iPhone 6 or 6 Plus home button is repaired anywhere other than an Apple Store or Apple-authorized repair center.

At first, the phone might work — with everything, including Touch ID, seeming perfectly fine. But then, when you try to update to a newer version of iOS (or you attempt to restore your phone from a backup), the software checks to make sure the Touch ID sensor matches the rest of the hardware. If it doesn't find a match — and only authorized Apple repair centers can pair a phone and Touch ID sensor — your phone will stop functioning. Read more...