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Superrjamz54

macrumors 6502
Dec 4, 2015
499
314
lol... the trouble is, it contains much more valuable info and one break-n in touch id will destroy the entire apple pay and security system. i dont blame apple on this. but they should simply have disabled the touch id and wipe off any sensitive data. instead of disabling the entire phone.
Congrats to the user who replaces a faulty home button to find that they just spent all of their money on a cheap part that will be prevented to work at all.
 
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magbarn

macrumors 68040
Oct 25, 2008
3,034
2,399
Apple could've gotten rid of the uproar on this by simply disabling touchid and requiring an apple id logon and/or password to get the phone working again (including disabling sensitive stuff like passport/apple pay) when a 3rd party replacement is detected instead of bricking the whole phone.
 

GFLPraxis

macrumors 604
Mar 17, 2004
7,152
460
Inconvenient, but makes sense. You're dealing with an advanced security feature, not just a simple clicky button.
I feel like the security feature should disable use of the fingerprint reader if it's not a genuine Apple part...not disable access to the phone entirely.

That way, if someone is, say, overseas and breaks his Home button, he can get it fixed and still have a working phone (sans Touch ID).
 

gaximus

macrumors 68020
Oct 11, 2011
2,308
4,717
No need to disable the entire phone over this though. Find an unauthorized touch-id sensor is present, disable touch-id, and make it work just a button like it was in the iPhone 5. Disabling the entire device and all functionality is taking it way too far.

This is kind of like safes that disable themselves when they detect tampering. If someone is trying to break into my phone and they have the technology that could send a signal to emulate my finger print, I won't my phone to detect this and brick itself, so that no other type of tampering will allowed.
 

sw1tcher

macrumors 603
Jan 6, 2004
6,040
21,904
Yes, because Google is the first name I think of when I think of security. Brings back the fond memories of both my father and friend's gmail accounts being hacked and then both being locked out. Good times.

Let's blame Google for that instead of the user. Maybe it was a weak password or computer had malware?

And https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ICloud_celebrity-photo_leaks

On August 31, 2014, a collection of almost 500 private pictures of various celebrities, mostly women, and with many containing nudity, were posted on the imageboard 4chan, and later disseminated by other users on websites and social networks such as Imgur and Reddit. The images were believed to have been obtained via a breach of Apple's cloud services suite iCloud
 

cfedu

Suspended
Mar 8, 2009
1,166
1,566
Toronto
You understand the security risks though? If someone could just install hacked touch ID sensors, then your data could be compromised. Apple has a responsibility to prevent scenarios like that.

And you don't have to get it fixed by Apple per se, but they probably need to be an authorized repair center. Otherwise what's to stop cheap repair shops from putting in Chinese knockoff TouchID sensors and putting your security and or personal information at risk?
I agree, but Apple could have made just forced the phone to be restored instead of being bricked. Data is safe in both scenarios but int he first one you have a phone that is not a brick.
 

fildnuts

macrumors newbie
Jan 11, 2016
2
8
This is Apple telling us not to venture out of their ecosystem. In this case, if you try it your phone will be bricked. Imagine if you had to use genuine GM parts to repair your car or else your care is bricked. This scares the **** out of me.


You cant compare a phone, a device specifically designed around security, to your crappy car. To say its like comparing apples and oranges is too close.

Think about that key you use on your new car. If you beak that, you have to get a new key made. In the old days, you had a guy cut you a new key, costing you all of $10 tops. Now, because there is lots of security builtin into the keys, you have to get the key cut (if you even have an actual key) and most importantly you have to program that new key. Which costs more? The programing of that key is where ALL the cost comes from. Some car keys cost more than a new iPhone to program. Not only that, but they key MUST be reprogrammed by the dealer. Thats no joke.

So you can have the **** scared out of you all you want because apple doesn't build in major security flaws for the masses so you can save $30 if your button breaks. I for one will happily maintain my phone the way the designer intends. I don't buy iPhones because they are the cheapest thing out there and I can have them fixed by any zit faced punk wanting to make a dollar. These are not cheap devices, and it would be MUCH worse if you could slap on any old Chinese made piece of crap just to save a couple of dollars. Also, get a good case if you're worried about having to fix your phone so much!
 

stiligFox

macrumors 68000
Apr 24, 2009
1,565
1,647
10.0.1.3
This is why when I would repair 5S screens I would transfer the home button...

Granted right now for screen repairs it's cheaper in many cases to have Apple do it - I've had people ask me if I'll do it for them but for me an iPhone 6 screen was $130 from China + my repair fee - Apple charges 109 + tax. Much better deal!
 

gaximus

macrumors 68020
Oct 11, 2011
2,308
4,717
Well if I replace the door locking system on my car, and get it done at a non-honda garage, it doesn't stop the car from being usable..... so No, you're not :rolleyes:

If you get your Mercedes (or any other advanced car) ignition replaced by a non-mercedes ignition, there is a very strong chance the car wouldn't start. Which is good, because someone could break in, replace the ignition with one that they have the key to, and drive away.
 

BC2009

macrumors 68020
Jul 1, 2009
2,257
1,471
This is Apple telling us not to venture out of their ecosystem. In this case, if you try it your phone will be bricked. Imagine if you had to use genuine GM parts to repair your car or else your care is bricked. This scares the **** out of me.

You are misrepresenting your analogy. This is like having a GM car with a special RFID key that provides entry and keyless start. And THEN when that mechanism breaks, having to use genuine GM parts and service to fix it.

Note, this is the case with many cars (if not all) that have computerized starting mechanisms that rely on RFID or some other technology in the keys. In fact, in most cases the computer that controls your car must be replaced with a genuine manufacturer part as well, or else your car won't run.

If your car had a fingerprint sensor to start it, this would like be the case as well.
 
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chukronos

macrumors 6502
Oct 20, 2004
458
186
Colleyville, TX
They can't separate the functions. would you want to use a phone where the phone can send your info to somebody else just because you used a cheap knock offs part

You should check out the touch ID & passcode menu on your phone. You can disable touch ID for unlock, apple pay, and iTunes purchases - therefor, separate the functions.

Sometimes, third party parts are the only parts available in a person's area. Apple needs to make sure and send every owner of a phone a detailed letter stating that apple will reclaim ownership of the phone and choose to permanently disable the user's phone if they choose to use a repair shop not approved by apple.
 

JohnApples

macrumors 68000
Mar 7, 2014
1,636
2,777
"Why can't they just disable Touch ID and not the whole phone?"

Well, not only does that look bad to have a major touted security feature disabled, but Apple cannot guarantee that 3rd party sensors don't have some sort of other malicious purposes that steal data from the iPhone. Even if you don't have finger prints registered, who's to say that it can't somehow, steal other data like passwords and CC numbers?

Is it unlikely? Maybe, but Apple isn't risking that. All it takes is ONE time, and Apple's foundation of security is ruined, even if it wasn't their fault. You can bet that it would be blown out of proportion just like everything else is. So I don't blame them for doing it this way.

Sure, I think they should have released some sort of warning about using 3rd party parts instead of bricking it retrospectively. But, 3rd party repairs have always been a risk, so I don't sympathize too much.
 
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RoyalElephant

macrumors member
Jul 21, 2013
54
25
This is in no shape or form a good thing. A message alerting the user to the dangers of the third party home button would have been more than enough, and they could have coupled that with disabling Touch ID on the device until a genuine replacement home button is acquired.

This is a very Microsoft Xbox 360 era thing to do.

It annoys me that they would brick a phone over this because I don't even like touch ID, fingerprint sensors just don't work right for me, not on the galaxy s5, galaxy S6, any of LG phones or the iPhone 6/6S. They recognize me once or twice and they don't recognize my print a few hours later. Probably something to do with oils in my skin or something I just don't like them.

It's such a shame because other than starting at 16 GB rather than 32 GB they're near perfection.
 
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clickerman

macrumors member
Jul 23, 2010
38
18
Don't be silly. This involves the security of the TouchID system. . . . But as such, I have to disagree with you.

But it is not just about the touch ID. The Apple spokeswoman in the article says: he adds: “When an iPhone is serviced by an unauthorized repair provider, faulty screens or other invalid components that affect the touch ID sensor could cause the check to fail if the pairing cannot be validated.”

So screens and other components are deemed to "affect the touch ID". How are we going to know what these components are when we get our phone repaired?
 

trip1ex

macrumors 68040
Jan 10, 2008
3,235
1,902
Don't use an iPhone in countries without a big Apple presence near you. And/or bring a backup phone.
 

thisisnotmyname

macrumors 68020
Oct 22, 2014
2,439
5,251
known but velocity indeterminate
No need to disable the entire phone over this though. Find an unauthorized touch-id sensor is present, disable touch-id, and make it work just a button like it was in the iPhone 5. Disabling the entire device and all functionality is taking it way too far.

Software thinks it has detected an attempted hack (or potential for attempted hack), I don't want the response to be the absolute minimum or that leaves potential attack vectors open. I want my phone to go president madagascar on the situation.
 

Goatllama

macrumors 6502a
Jun 24, 2015
628
658
Mountaintop Lair
"How can a company deliberately make their own products useless with an upgrade and not warn their own customers about it?"

Important: Do not open the Apple Product. Opening the Apple Product may cause damage that is not covered by this Warranty. Only Apple or an AASP should perform service on this Apple Product.

http://www.apple.com/legal/warranty/products/iphone-english.html

Sure, it doesn't specifically say the update will brick the phone. More than that it implies that even before the update the third party repair will brick the phone, so the guy should count himself lucky that it wasn't an immediate loss of his device, as is the case with a lot of third party repairs. Not warned? Give me a break.
 
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Superrjamz54

macrumors 6502
Dec 4, 2015
499
314
This is in no shape or form a good thing. A message alerting the user to the dangers of the third party home button would have been more than enough, and they could have coupled that with disabling Touch ID on the device until a genuine replacement home button is acquired.

This is a very Microsoft Xbox 360 era thing to do.

It annoys me that they would brick a phone over this because I don't
But it is not just about the touch ID. The Apple spokeswoman in the article says: he adds: “When an iPhone is serviced by an unauthorized repair provider, faulty screens or other invalid components that affect the touch ID sensor could cause the check to fail if the pairing cannot be validated.”

So screens and other components are deemed to "affect the touch ID". How are we going to know what these components are when we get our phone repaired?
That's why you use an authorized and certified Apple repair shop. They will know what those components are. Apple doesn't want to hear or be blamed when the user or somebody non-authorized screws something up
 
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