Considering that an official Apple store or authorized repair shop charges between $269 to $329 to replace a broken iPhone home button, you can understand why some people are tempted to use non-Apple technicians to save money. But it turns out that may be a bad idea, as thousands of iPhone users discovered their devices had turned into expensive paperweights after encountering the ‘error 53’ problem, according to a report in the Guardian.
The issue stems from the smartphones’ Touch ID sensor that the company introduced in the iPhone 5s. As a security feature, the fingerprint sensor on the iPhone is uniquely tied to the device using a secure enclave, meaning that someone who stole the iPhone couldn’t replace the home button – either as a way to access Touch ID-related features or to surreptitiously record a user’s biometric data.
