Legal ground work begins towards class action lawsuit following iPhone Error 53 controversy

It was bound to happen.

In the wake of the iPhone Error 53 bricking issue, The law firm of PVCA hasn’t filed a case against Apple yet, but is looking for iPhone owners ready to sign up for a class action lawsuit.

As mentioned before, iPhone 6 and 6 Plus owners who had their Home button and Touch ID components repaired by a third party are encountering Error 53 if the parts aren’t properly installed and paired with the rest of the device. Apple says it’s a security feature to prevent anyone from bypassing the built-in personal data and privacy safeguards.

PVCA offered the following opinion on the matter:

“Think of it this way: Let’s say you bought a car, and had your alternator replaced by a local mechanic. Under Apple’s strategy, your car would no longer start because you didn’t bring it to an official dealership. They intentionally disable your car because you tried to fix it yourself.
Applying PVCA’s alternator analogy to Apple’s argument, if a local mechanic fails to correctly install a new alternator, your car will stop working. That’s not an intentional act by the car maker; it’s what happens when key parts aren’t installed properly.

The tools necessary for pairing the Touch ID sensor with an iPhone aren’t available to independent repair shops, and that’s where the real problem lies. Unless they have access to the same tools as Apple’s authorized repair centers, they can’t successfully replace Touch ID-enabled Home buttons, or even the cable that connects the Touch ID sensor to your iPhone.

The law firm says that Error 53 violates U.S. consumer protection laws and is shopping around for iPhone users to participate in the class action case.

Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

Via The Mac Observer