Plaintiffs who filed a lawsuit against Apple after replacement Touch ID sensors resulted in their iPhones becoming non-operational are now fighting the company’s efforts to dismiss the case, Apple Insider reports. The issue cropped up in February, when iPhone owners who had used third-party service centers to replace Touch ID sensors started getting “Error 53” messages that left their devices locked and unusable.
Each Touch ID sensor is paired with its unique device and can’t be replaced without causing problems with Touch ID and Apple Pay, but the release of iOS 9.2.1 locked all other functions on iPhones with replacement sensors as well.
Apple has since issued a patch to fix the problem and offered reimbursements to users forced to pay for out-of-warranty device replacements, so the company filed to have the class action lawsuit filed over the issue thrown out, calling the complaint moot. In their response, the plaintiffs claim Apple failed to inform users of the reimbursement program, making little effort to let affected parties know about their options outside of a “vague” Support Pages document.
One complainant claims to have not received the notice sent out to users eligible for a refund, and another claims to have been disconnected twice while attempting to file a reimbursement claim.
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