iPhone error 53 isn’t a widely known problem, but it can have severe consequences including disabling your phone altogether so it doesn’t work. The error usually strikes owners of iPhone 6 or 6 Plus, iPhone 6S or 6S Plus, iPhones running iOS 8.3 or higher, or if you’re trying to restore your iPhone or update the operating system.
Similarly, if you had a hardware repair done on your phone but not by Apple, you could encounter error 53 on your iPhone.
Causes of iPhone Error 53
Error 53 occurs after you try updating or restoring your iOS device in iTunes on your PC or Mac. It also appears when a device fails a security test, designed to check if Touch ID works well before the device goes to market and wasn’t supposed to affect the customers.
If you’re experiencing this error, Apple’s iOS 9.3 update lets you successfully restore the device using iTunes on your PC or Mac. You can however restore and recover the iPhone, but if you feel you paid for a replacement out-of-warranty for your device based on the error, contact Apple for a refund.
How to fix iPhone error 53
Below are the troubleshooting steps to take when you get error 53 on your iPhone:
- Quit iTunes if it is open on your Mac or PC
- Unplug your iPhone if it’s plugged into your Mac or PC
- Make sure your iPhone has the latest version of iTunes
- Connect your iPhone to your Mac or PC with a USB cable
- Open iTunes and select your iPhone. If you see the option in iTunes to Update or Restore, click Update. iTunes will try reinstalling iOS and restoring your device without deleting or erasing your data
- In case you can’t go beyond the Apple logo screen, try force restarting your iOS device and when you see the option to Update or Restore, click Restore
- When you see the Hello screen on your iOS device, follow the onscreen steps to set up your iPhone. If you backed up your device previously, you can set up from your iPhone’s backup. Tap Se up Touch ID later when you see the screen for Touch ID
- If Touch ID didn’t work on your device before error 53 came up, the feature won’t work even after you update or restore the iPhone.
If you continue seeing iPhone error 53, contact Apple support.
In order to avoid the error, ensure you always get repairs from Apple or a certified/authorized provider.
Elsie is a tech writer with 8+ years professional experience. For Tech News Watch, she brings rich experience contributing to topics such as Windows, MacOS, Android, and iOS among others. In her spare time, she loves checking out the latest tech trends, gadgets, and news, listening to music and cars.