Apple sued by Australian regulators over bricked iPhones

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is suing Apple over a software update last year that bricked the phones of several customers who had previously had a cracked screen or Touch ID button fixed at a third-party repair shop. The ACCC seems to think that the update was at least partially issued in order to force customers into using Apple or Apple-approved repair centers.

From Reuters:

Apple engaged in "misleading or deceptive conduct and made false or misleading representations to consumers" about its software updates and customers' rights to have their products repaired by the company, the commission said.

The ACCC is seeking fines and injunctions against Apple, and wants the company to be made to partake in a compliance program so something like this doesn't happen.

This lawsuit likely stems from an issue that was seen last year known as "Error 53", which cropped up in a particular update to iOS 9. The error made iPhones that had been repaired by third parties unusable when iOS detected that the Touch ID sensor in affected iPhones and iPads did not match the other parts in the device.