The much reported iPhone Error 53 glitch, which has rendered thousands of handsets unusable after a software update, is now officially the focus of a class action lawsuit in the US.
Seattle law firm PCVA has followed through on a promise to sue Apple over the error, which affects users who have employed third-party repair store to fix the Touch ID sensor on their phone.
The class action lawsuit, in which PCVA would represent the interests of thousands of users, could see Apple forced to pay damages to consumers who have lost out as a result of Error 53.
In a statement, PCVA’s Darrell Cochran said: “No materials we've seen from Apple ever show a disclosure that your phone would self-destruct if you download new software onto a phone.
"If Apple wants to kill your phone under any set of circumstances and for any reason, it has to make it crystal clear to its customers before the damage is done."
Apple has faced severe criticism over Error 53. It claims that using a third party to change the Touch ID button, which includes fingerprint scanning technology, puts users’ security at risk.
However, many users have said their devices have failed even when they haven’t had their Touch ID button repaired.
Some claim that Apple is simply using the error as a way of forcing users to have their iPhones fixed at a greater cost in its own high street stores.