Q: iPhone Error 53

The common reason for Error 53 is due to the home button being replaced or damaged home button cable, during a restore or update the hardware check detects an incorrect home button ID (Home button has been replaced) then bricks your phone.  a warning that this is going to occur with the option to opt out of the restore/update update would have been appreciated, The second hand market keeps new iPhone sales moving, if people can't use 3rd party repair to replace something as simple as a home button the second hand sales will eventually die along with your sales of new iPhones.

Bricking someones perfectly good iPhone is not acceptable, they were probably happy to use the iPhone without touch ID. I have been an Apple fan for years but normally can only afford second hand equipment and purchased a second hand iPhone 6 for my daughter that worked perfectly well until she agreed to the IOS 9.2 upgrade, now she has to use a older android device because her iPhone is now a paper weight, things like this start testing my allegiance to Apple. Will customers have to take Apple to court to fix this issue? I hope not!

Please Apple do something for this issues!!! My iPhone 6, touch ID had to replaced due to water spilled up accidentally, there was no other way!! Now last week i tried to restore my iPhone with itunes and it got stuck at error 53 issue!!!

This is really really disappointing and sad apple doing with their customers!! Please Apple fix this hardware check to next update!!!

My iPhone is now a bricked putted on my drawer

this is a user helping user forum we are users like you and not apple if you wish to complain to apple about thirdparty screen repair killing iphones use the feedback channel

http://www.apple.com/feedback/iphone.html

Rudegar is correct, the more feedback Apple receives on this issue the more likely they are to fix it.

AeroSky6, if you still have the original home button you may still be able to restore your iPhone, have the button cleaned in an ultrasound unit with isopropyl alchol, make sure it dries completely, install home button back into iPhone and try the itunes restore again, if the iPhone restores but the button still does not work you can then replace the button but keep the oringinal button in case you ever have to do the procedure again.

Good luck.

There is nothing to fix. The error is caused by a faulty touch ID sensor, in which case the solution is to get it fixed by Apple, or it's caused by a mismatch between the touch ID hardware and the logic board caused by an unauthorized replacement of the display and/or home button, in which case it's a brick. Apple won't touch it.

Why is it Apple's responsibility if you have a phone repaired by an incompetent technician and they damage your phone? This error will only occur if the servicing company does not know what they are doing. There are many ways that a phone can be damaged by a self-repair or a repair performed by an incompetent. This is only one of them.

The problem is we all don't live in the USA or even countries that have Apple stores, their is doubt that even an authorised Apple service centre can replace the home button and restore touch ID functionality even with the genuine part (Has anyone had success with this?). Most countries consumer law does not allow the manufacturer to have a monopoly on repairs. Customers have a right to have an item repaired where their location/budget allows, if they are happy with a cheaper screen or a home button with no touch ID, a software update/restore should not brick their iPhone.

It's the most problem from Touch ID. This issue has happened more in Chinese forum.

Hello Razd. Thanks for your promote reply!
Yes, i have the original Home button. And the service man didn't do nothing wrong. They tried it with isopropyl alcohol as what you said, the full logic board has been cleaned by alcohol but no luck, everything was working like just nothing happened except the touch id! That's the story..

Finally he replaced me an another home button from a dead iPhone. Touch id is gone not the whole phone I accepted that.. and have been using without touch id feature.. 

Everything was okay till last week, my macbook pro "OSX El Capitan's" airdrop wasn't working properly with iOS 9.0.2 (I didn't update my iOS after 9.0.2) So googled it, and figured it out, Airdrop issue has been fixed on the iOS 9.2 update.

Then i decided to update it. And during the restore process 2/3 minutes later iTunes showing  "The iphone couldn't be restored an unknown error occured(53)"

I went to that repair shop and tried with many ways, first he replaced the original home button and tried to restore again, but no luck, i even tried to changing the touch id flex ribbon from another original iPhone 6, but it didn't work!!

I know it'll not work without the original home button working again! We all know it's a security But it's really unfair apple can do anything with their customers for a small home button issue to brick their $800 phone with a software update!! There are still many country's where apple doesn't officially supporting but peoples are using their products! They should at least think of them!! 

The phone was brought from a local retail shop. And the problem is, in my country BANGLADESH Apple doesn't yet support officially! There is no Apple Store here. So in this case we have no other options without going to third party repair shop!

However thank you guys for your suggestions!

Buy a new phone. That one is completely unsupportable either here or by Apple. There is no way around the problem. It's a security issue caused by a mismatch between the touch ID hardware and the logic board. It is permanently borked.

Hi, Thanks for your reply!

Yes, i did actually yesterday.