Best Google Play Store Alternatives in 2016

As far as vanilla app stores go, the Google Play store is pretty solid. However, for some, it isn’t enough. Whether you want to legally acquire paid apps for free, choose from a wider selection, or browse from a more streamlined interface, you may want to consider taking a look at some Google Play alternatives. Take a look at this list, and see what you like.

1. Mobogenie

Mobogenie is sort of like a Swiss pocket knife when it comes to Google Play alternatives. Not only is Mobogenie a sleek, professional-looking app store, but it also doubles as a file management app. You can also download Mobogenie on your computer, and use it to transfer files between your Android device and your PC. Mobogenie also offers a unique ‘Editor’s Recommendation’ feature, which recommends different apps that they think you would like.

I have also found that Mobogenie is generally more secure than other 3rd party app stores. It offers a lot of functionality with its file management ability, and the simple user-interface makes the transition from Play Store to Mobogenie really easy on the user. The layouts are fairly similar, which means that you end up spending less time fumbling through unfamiliar menus and tabs.

The desktop Mobogenie is also very simple to use, too. If you wanted, you could just download the desktop version of Mobogenie and use it to transfer over new apps to your Android device. You wouldn’t even have to download Mobogenie onto your Android device to perform these functions. The developers of Mobogenie clearly had convenience and functionality in mind when creating this application.

2. ApkMirror

ApkMirror is slightly different from other Google Play alternatives. It isn’t really an application. Like Mobogenie, it is a desktop software. However, you can’t choose whether or not you use the desktop application, because ApkMirror doesn’t exist as an Android application yet. ApkMirror is a website that allows you to easily search for .apk files. .apk files are basically Android app files. For legal purposes, you’re not able to find any paid apps from the .apk store.

The user interface for ApkMirror is really simple. You just click the search icon in the top right corner of the website, search for the app that you want, download it, and upload it to your Android advice. However, if I had to complain about one thing, it would be that the website can feel a little bit insecure. Although ApkMirror has an app security verification system, it’s a little inconsistent. Use your common sense when you’re browsing through the store, and you should be okay.

3. Amazon App Store

The Amazon App Store is probably the most popular Google Play alternative out there. The Amazon App Store features a wealth of apps, both new and paid. There are often instances of apps that cost money on the Google Play store being free on the Amazon App Store. You just download the app on your Android Device, and use it as you would use the Google Play store. The interfaces are very similar, and being an Amazon product, you can expect a highly user-friendly experience.

You’re also able to purchase apps directly from the Amazon website, and you’re even able to use an Amazon gift balance if you have one. You’re able to purchase the app from the Amazon website, and then commence its download via the app from your Android device. It’s a very convenient experience, and Amazon makes it really easy for you.

Amazon also offers pretty unparalleled value, too. They have a promotion going on, where they offer one paid app for free, every day. If you’re a budget-conscious app lover, then the Amazon App Store is probably the Google Play Store alternative for you.

4. GetJar

GetJar is a really popular 3rd party Android app store, and it has been around for quite a long time. For a while, some people thought that GetJar could have possibly overtaken the Google Play Store in terms of popularity and functionality. However, as more and more 3rd party app stores have entered the market over the years, competition has increased and GetJar hasn’t fully caught on quite yet.

GetJar hosts a huge amount of apps, nearly rivaling the selection of the Google Play store. Not only that, but GetJar also has a pretty interesting currency feature. When you download an app via GetJar, you earn GetJar Gold. GetJar Gold can be used to “purchase” paid apps, at no cost to the user. This is quite the unique payment model, and it helps the developer drive traffic to their app, and it helps the user to save money in buying apps.

GetJar also has an easy-to-browse website, which allows you to download .apk files from your computer to upload onto your Android device. All in all, GetJar is a budget-friendly, functional, and expansive app store alternative for any Google Play user who is looking for something a little different.

5. SlideME

A pretty common issue that you may encounter while using 3rd party app stores is that not all of the apps are fully functional. Most of the apps that you will download are “cracked” apps, and there is no guarantee that the apps will fully work. This can be a really frustrating experience for the user, and it makes the whole alternative app store thing a little off-putting. SlideME understands this, and seeks out a less buggy experience for its userbase.

SlideME is more or less your standard app store. You can download the app and access a database of thousands of apps. The apps are voted on by the user community, much like the Google Play Store. There are several charts, filtering options, and search engines, to ensure that you can always find exactly what you’re looking for. However, SlideME offers one feature that most other alternative app stores do not have.

Before an app is placed into the SlideME store, it is manually tested by the SlideME team. This means no more waiting for an app to install, only to realize that it’s littered with bugs. This level of quality assurance on SlideME’s part means that the user is able to browse the store and download apps with a certain amount of confidence that they may not have in other stores. All in all, it’s a much more secure-feeling experience.

Exercise caution

There are plenty of alternative Google Play app stores out there, too many for this article to list. However, if you happen to stray off of this list, you need to stay safe. Your Android device is a computer, and you shouldn’t just trust every repository you find. You wouldn’t just download a bunch of random files to your desktop computer, would you?

Some third party Android app stores aren’t secure, meaning that malicious files could be uploaded by users. Others are just plain frauds, installing different malware and bloatware to your device. You need to exercise plenty of caution when considering a third-party app store, and do your research before you start trying to score some free apps. As long as you stick to this list, though, you should be completely fine.

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How to add names to faces in Google Photos for easier searching

Do you have thousands of photos of employees or family that send you on a never-ending search for that "one" image? Google Photos has a hidden gem of a feature to rid you of the "scroll fest".

Google Photos is an impressive tool for both work and personal use. It allows you to create collections and group photos together, backup your photos, print your photos, share your photos...and so much more. But when you have a lot of photos of a lot of people, what do you do to make that collection easier to search? Say you are tasked with keeping all company personnel photos organized in such a way to make them easier to find within Google Photos. What do you do?

Thankfully, Google thought of this. Because Photos has an uncanny knack for recognizing faces (and grouping them together), you can add a name to a face and Photos will be able to locate photos with that face in it...so long as you add a name to the face. However, the trick isn't exactly easy to find. Fear not, I'm here to show you exactly how to find this feature. Once you learn it, you can never unlearn it (which is a good thing, as it's really quite handy).

irst, the search

In order to add a name, you must first locate an image. How do you do that? From either the Assistant or Photos, tap the Search button (Figure A).

Figure A

Searching for a photo on a Verizon-branded Nexus 6.

Once in the search screen, you'll notice a People section (Figure B). Locate the photo you want to add a name to and tap it.

Figure B

Image: Jack Wallen

The People section of the Google Photos Search.

At the top of the next screen (Figure C), you will be prompted to answer a single question: Who is this? Tap that and you can now add a name to the face.

Figure C

Image: Jack Wallen

Adding a name to photos of the cover model for one of my book series.

The name will be drawn from your Contacts. If the name isn't in your contacts, you can still add it, but it won't be as integrated into the rest of the ecosystem. I would suggest adding the name as a contact first (if it's not already listed in Contacts).

Now, when you run a search for a name in Google Photos, every image with the face associated with that name will appear...no tagging necessary (because Google has already done that for you).

Google Photos makes it incredibly easy to curate photos in such a way that searching for a face is but a step away. Attach names to those employee (or family) faces and you won't wind up having to scroll through all your collections just to find that one special photo.

Have you taken the time to get to know Google Photos? If so, what's your favorite feature?

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Apple Loop: Latest iPhone 7 Leaks In Stereo, Nexus 6P Defeats iPhone 6S Plus, Apple Fights America

Taking a look back at another week of news from Cupertino, this week’s Apple Loop includes Apple’s next volatile step in the American Crypto War, Apple’s backtracking over Error 53, the Nexus 6P takes on the iPhone 6S Plus, what the iPhone 7 will replace the headphone jack with, price cuts for the Apple Watch, how Apple could use its profits to change the smartphone market, Eddy Cue revealing iCloud and Apple Music numbers, a look inside Apple’s chip design team, and why is Apple buying a Fiat van from 1957?

Apple Loop is here to remind you of a few of the very many discussions that have happened around Apple over the last seven days (and you can read the weekly digest of Android news here on Forbes).

Apple Takes On The FBI And The American Government

There’s no doubt that the biggest Apple story this week is the demand by the US Courts on Apple to aid the FBI in extracting the data from an iPhone 5C tied into the San Bernardino shootings from December 2015. Apple replied publicly with a comprehensive and in-depth statement. Forbes’ Thomas Fox-Brewster goes through the basics of the case:

Apple CEO Tim Cook has written an open letter to customers warning them of a “dangerous” request from the FBI to effectively create a backdoor in their iPhones. Cook was writing in response to a court order asking Apple to create a tool that would allow for unlimited guesses at a user’s passcode, in this case to crack into the iPhone of one of the San Bernardino shooters, who killed 14 and injured 22 others in December 2015.

This is a case that has huge political implication in the current ‘Crypto Wars’ being fought by Governments around the world against devices with ‘uncrackable’ encryption. Part of the case will hinge around the question of Apple’s ability to accommodate a backdoor that eases the security restrictions to allow a brute-force attempt to be made on the device’s PIN Code. Ben Thompson looks at the technical issues:

Specifically, Apple is not being asked to break the encryption on the iPhone in question (which is impossible — more on this in a moment), but rather to disable the functionality that wipes the memory when multiple wrong passcodes are entered in a row.

While Apple may have the ability to perform the requested action on the older iPhone 5C handset, that would set a precedent in future cases where devices are even more secure. A line in the sand has been drawn. Tim Cook is being forced to defend this hill or succumb to future Government requests to break into any iPhone. Matthew Panzarino for TechCrunch:

The point is that the FBI is asking Apple to crack its own safe, it doesn’t matter how good the locks are if you modify them to be weak after installing them. And once the precedent is set then the opportunity is there for similar requests to be made of all billion or so active iOS devices. Hence the importance of this fight for Apple.

All I would add is ‘the importance of this fight for Apple… and for you.’

Apple’s Error In Explaining Error 53 Is Explained

Following the issues around Error 53 and the software bricking iPhones where the secure hardware has been disturbed (with Apple stating there is no way to restore the device to a working state), a statement has been released to say that this approach was in error, it is possible for devices to be reset, and the update to iOS to do this is now available. Matthew Panzarino reports with Apple’s statement:

Some customers’ devices are showing ‘Connect to iTunes’ after attempting an iOS update or a restore from iTunes on a Mac or PC. This reports as an Error 53 in iTunes and appears when a device fails a security test. This test was designed to check whether Touch ID works properly before the device leaves the factory.

Today, Apple released a software update that allows customers who have encountered this error message to successfully restore their device using iTunes on a Mac or PC.

We apologize for any inconvenience, this was designed to be a factory test and was not intended to affect customers. Customers who paid for an out-of-warranty replacement of their device based on this issue should contact AppleCare about a reimbursement.

Does it work? The team at iFixit picked up one a previously bricked Error 53 handsets to give it a go:

We force restarted it, and connected to iTunes on a MacBook Pro. As expected, we were prompted to restore the iPhone to factory settings.

We’d tried this in the past, but the restore had failed and left the iPhone in a recovery mode spiral of death. This time though, the process went off more smoothly. iTunes quickly had the iPhone sorted out and restored to factory settings on iOS 9.2.1. From there, we had the option to restore our data from a previous backup.

The question now should be why Apple leaned so heavily on the security argument as Error 53 reached the mainstream media. When Tim Cook has laid out Apple’s approach to security in relation to the FBI request with a number of definitive statements around capabilities, the previous definitive Error 53 statement might not have been the smartest move to make.

Fighting Phablets 

Apple is a recent convert to the phablet category, debuting in 2014 with the iPhone 6 Plus and updating the design with the iPhone 6S Plus. Samsung pretty much created the category, but the Galaxy Note 5 has not been a critical success. Meanwhile, Google’s Nexus line of devices rolled out the Nexus 6P late last year as a challenger in the phablet category. How does Google’s champion stand up against Apple’s contender? Gordon Kelly finds out:

The next month is going to be all about Samsung, but arguably the most interesting rivalry in the smartphone world today is between Apple and its increasingly vocal nemesis Google. For the first time Google has started promoting its Nexus range and its latest flagship, the Nexus 6P, is a truly stunning handset. But how does it compare to the iPhone 6S Plus, arguably the most well known and most well rounded big smartphone available?

Having used both devices since launch I now have my verdict. So make a cup of coffee and get comfortable. You’re about to read a dissection of the two best smartphones on the planet…

Existing iOS and Android users will likely be happy to play at home and stay with their favoured platform, but for those on the fence, there is a clear winner.

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The iPhone Camera As A Professional Tool

Foodie magazine Bon Appétit has done something quite risky with this month’s issue. Photographers have left their cameras at their desks and used iPhones to shoot all the photos for the 43-page feature story of the magazine. This wasn’t Apple’s idea — Bon Appétit was working on a Culture issue, and the iPhone is part of the food culture now.

“When we were discussing what the cover for the issue should be, we realized that nothing captures the zeitgeist of food culture like someone snapping a photo of their meal with their phone,” Bon Appétit Editor-in-Chief Adam Rapoport told me. “It’s what we all do — all of us. And so we then thought, ‘Wait a minute — what if we actually shot the entire feature well with iPhones?’ And I guess you could say that’s just how we think. As editors, attempting something new and different is what keeps our jobs interesting.”

If it sounds like a gimmick, Cait Oppermann had a different reaction. “I was really excited about it, because despite being a photographer as my job, the camera I use most in my everyday life is actually my iPhone,” she said. “In some ways, it’s the camera I’m most comfortable with. But I actually felt kind of weird doing it professionally.”

And this is key to understanding what’s happening to professional photography right now. Some industries, like fashion and food, have been heavily influenced by mobile phone cameras and Instagram. If you want to spot the most interesting trends in food and fashion, you browse Instagram — and eventually, you post your own photos on Instagram.

That’s why it makes sense that a food magazine would try working with iPhones as everyone on staff is already using their phones so much. “If you love food, and eat well, and are willing to take the time, you can snap beautiful shots of food. And it’s in those images how we now share our love for food. Even professional photographers.” Rapoport said. “All of our main photographers are active on Instagram. But what’s interesting is that it’s a different medium than the printed page — so how they approach it is different than how they treat jobs for magazines like Bon Appétit.”

And the feature looks fantastic. At first, I wasn’t sure I was looking at the right photos as you would think they were shot with a DSLR camera. And yet, they were iPhone photos.

There are a few things worth noting. I would have done a terrible job compared to Bon Appétit’s photographers. It proves that the iPhone is a great creativity tool as it provides a lot of depth for professional photographers.

Photographers still used their computers to edit the shots. And the iPhone is a constrained tool as you can’t change the lens or tether the iPhone to a computer to instantly see the photos on a big screen. But you can do a lot with an iPhone.

Back in December, 60 Minutes unveiled that 800 people are working on the iPhone camera at Apple. Apple is dedicating a lot of resources on its camera as it thinks it could be an important differentiating factor with other phone manufactures and even previous iPhone models.

The company wants to push the boundaries of what you can shoot with a phone. And we’re going to hear stories about professional photographers leaving their DSLR at home more and more often.

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Confirmed: Google To Stop Showing Ads On Right Side Of Desktop Search Results Worldwide

A long-running test is now rolling out for desktop queries: Google will no longer show ads to the right of its search results, with one exception.

Google is rolling out a dramatic change that removes ads from the right side of its desktop search results, and places ads only at the top and/or bottom of the page. At the same time, the company says it may show an additional ad — four, not three — above the search results for what it calls “highly commercial queries.”

All of this represents the conclusion of a test that began all the way back in 2010, and has been tweaked over the years since then. Search Engine Land readers — particularly some outside the U.S. — notified us late last year that they were seeing the top-only ads more frequently.

A Google spokesperson has confirmed to Search Engine Land that the change is now rolling out to all searches in all languages worldwide. Ads will not appear on the right side of desktop search results, with one exception: Product Listing Ad (PLA) boxes will continue to show both above and to the right of search results.

The additional fourth ad that may show above the search results will only show up for highly commercial queries, according to Google’s official statement on the change:

“We’ve been testing this layout for a long time, so some people might see it on a very small number of commercial queries. We’ll continue to make tweaks, but this is designed for highly commercial queries where the layout is able to provide more relevant results for people searching and better performance for advertisers.”

To clarify, the elimination of right-side ads impacts all desktop searches worldwide; the addition of the fourth ad above search results will happen for “highly commercial queries.” This would involve searches like “hotels in New York City” or “car insurance” and the like.

The removal of all right-side ads obviously makes the desktop and mobile search results more similar. On mobile, though, Google typically shows either two or three ads at the top of the search results.

Postscript: Search Engine Land was tipped to this change via email from a Google advertiser that wishes to remain anonymous, as well as the folks at The Media Image who wrote about the changeyesterday.

Postscript #2: Google originally told Search Engine Land that there were two exceptions to the right-side change: PLA boxes and the Knowledge Panel. A spokesperson tells us that’s not the case, and that PLA boxes will be the only time ads will continue to show on the right side of the desktop search results page. Our article above has been edited accordingly.

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How would you improve the Windows 10 Store?

How to improve the Store for users and developers

Since Microsoft launched Windows 8 in 2012, the Windows Store has been the key to Microsoft content strategy. But while the Windows 8 store only featured third-party apps, the Windows 10 Store is now a gateway to the whole Microsoft ecosystem including universal Windows apps and a lots of media content.

More importantly, the new Windows Store is also a key component of Windows 10 as it’s the native tool that will deliver updates to all Microsoft native apps and third-party apps, while the Store itself is a universal app built on the same Universal Windows Platform (UWP) that third-party developers can use. So, let’s just say that Microsoft’s Windows Store has to deliver a rock-solid experience for Windows 10 users and third-party developers if Microsoft wants its Windows 10 strategy to succeed.

Right now, the Windows 10 Store experience is obviously better than the Windows 8 experience, and Microsoft was recently happy to report that the Store received 3 billion visits since the release of Windows 10. The company is still not done yet as the Store experience could still be improved in many ways. Here’s a list of suggestions to improve many aspects the Microsoft Store like the web experience, the search experience and app listings.

Let’s start with my main requested feature as a WinBeta writer: as we often have to report about app updates, it’s really annoying that the Windows Store is not displaying datestamps for apps as well as a full changelog history. It’s quite confusing when you remember that the old Windows Phone Store currently tells you when an app received it last update. Also, wouldn’t it be useful to users if the Store homepage featured a “Recently updated apps” category?

A lot of information but no changelog history.

From a consumer perspective, my most requested feature is a universal wishlist across the web and Windows 10 PC and mobile stores. Both iTunes and Google Play currently have that handy feature, and as the new Windows Store is featuring media content as well a wishlist would be really helpful to track prices of all the content you would like to buy.

Next, some may remember that during the Windows 8 era, it was possible to download apps on your Windows Phone from the web (using the deprecated windowsphone.comwebsite). Well, if you browse the Windows web store using a Windows 10 PC, you can still use web links to quickly redirect you to the Windows Store app, but you can’t use those links to install apps on your Windows Phone. Microsoft should really bring back that feature as a more consistent experience could bring more engagement on its app store.

It’s no more possible to download apps to your phone from the web.

I also have a lot to say about search, and if you’re a Steam user I guess you’ll know what I’m talking about. Search is currently terrible on the Windows Store because the content is lacking some metadata that could help users get quicker to Store content using search filters. To link to my previous datestamps request, I think it would also be handy to be able to filter search results to quickly see which apps were recently updated.

Also, Microsoft recently added a discreet “Built for Windows 10 label” that some Windows Store apps are now featuring, but that doesn’t explain much to users (does this mean that these apps are Continuum-enabled?). I also have Windows 10 games in mind as it’s currently difficult to know what that “Xbox Live” label really means, and if you’re looking for games that you can play with an Xbox controller you’re also not guaranteed to find that information on app descriptions.

Why do I have to scroll down to discover that this game works with Xbox controllers and uses Xbox Live cloud saves?

So, I think it would be a good idea to add “badges” on app pages, and there should be search toggle for at least these 3 badge suggestions of mine:

– Windows 10 UWP app (which also implies Continuum enabled on mobile)
– Game that works with an Xbox controller on Windows 10
– Game that uses Xbox Live cloud saves between PC and mobile

So, these are my main feature requests for the Windows 10 Store, but of course I would also appreciate a more reliable Store, as in my own experience the Store can sometimes struggle to download apps. But hopefully, “Windows as a service” means that Windows 10 will get better over time, and the Windows Store is getting updates at a regular pace. And Microsoft really ought to provide the best Windows Store experience for users if the company wants developers to take the Windows platform seriously.

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Official Launch Date for Google AMP Confirmed

Google's Accelerated Mobile Pages Is Launching Feb. 24, Ad Age Has Learned

Google will be introducing its Accelerated Mobile Page initiative on Feb. 24, several sources familiar with AMP confirmed to Ad Age.

AMP is a direct response to similar but proprietary platforms like Facebook's Instant Articles and Apple's News. Unlike them, however, AMP is open source, meaning anyone can use it.

Google says AMP pages load 85% faster than standard mobile web pages. The company wants to reinvent the mobile web by delivering content at near instant speeds.

Publishers, meanwhile, have been eagerly awaiting their chance to test AMP's efficacy in encouraging readership on mobile devices. The Wall Street Journal, BuzzFeed and the Washington Post are among those who will have AMP sites ready next week.

A Google spokeswoman declined to comment on the date of AMP's roll-out.

While AMP pages load much faster, many revenue streams for publishers won't be available. Interstitial ads and site takeovers aren't allowed. Elements that are script-based, widgets that suggest other reading and video that visitors have to watch before they get to the content they're seeking are also off the table.

Still, delivering content at blazing fast speeds may be a necessary measure for publishers -- and Google -- to keep consumers on the mobile web. Consumers currently spend far more time with apps than the mobile web.

Google began reaching out to publishers nearly 10 months ago and publicly introduced the concept of AMP back in October. Google will begin displaying AMP sites in its search results next week. Although the search titan said it won't favor AMP in particular among the search results it displays, it has long favored faster sites over slower ones when other things are equal.

"Clearly, AMP takes speed to a point of extreme," Richard Gingras, senior director, news and social products at Google, previously told Ad Age. "So, obviously we look to leverage that. Again, it is only one signal. AMP doesn't mean adopt AMP and get a massive boost in search ranking. That is not the case. All of the other signals need to be satisfied as well. But without question speed matters. If we had two articles that from a signaling perspective scored the same in all other characteristics but for speed, then yes we will give an emphasis to the one with speed because that is what users find compelling."

Facebook said Wednesday that it will expand access to its Instant Articles to all publishers on April 12, expanding on the group of several hundred that have been testing it so far.

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Google Play Games ditches the Google+ log-in requirement

Create your Google Gamer ID now.

Your Google+ account continues to get a little less useful. The folks in Mountain View announced today that Google Play Games would not longer require the aforementioned log-in. Over the coming weeks, titles integrated with the company's gaming hub will transition to new Gamer IDs. You don't have to wait, though, as you can secure a handle with theGoogle Play Games app right now. Choose from over 40 avatars for your profile picture while you're at it.

The new usernames are tied to your email account and you can decide whether to keep your activity public or private. When you need to search for friends, you can do so with their email -- something developers can make easier now that access to Contacts is also decoupled from Google+. There's also a new sign-in process that only requires to you enter your credentials once per account rather than once per game. If you haven't tried Google Play Games yet, you'll be prompted to pick a Gamer ID when you log in for the first time. Existing users will be prompted to do so when signing into a new Play-integrated title. The company began nixing the Google+ requirement last year, starting with YouTube before moving on to other apps and services.

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Apple fixes 'Error 53' and apologizes to customers for bricking iPhones

A user setting up TouchID, an iPhone security feature that allows users to unlock their device using their fingerprint.

Apple is apologizing — and fixing — the "Error 53" bug that left some iPhone devices bricked.

The basic problem occurs if your iPhone 6 or 6 Plus home button is repaired anywhere other than an Apple Store or Apple-authorized repair center.

At first, the phone might work — with everything, including Touch ID, seeming perfectly fine. But then, when you try to update to a newer version of iOS (or you attempt to restore your phone from a backup), the software checks to make sure the Touch ID sensor matches the rest of the hardware. If it doesn't find a match — and only authorized Apple repair centers can pair a phone and Touch ID sensor — your phone will stop functioning.

Although Apple originally said that "Error 53" was a security measure, many users questioned why the company would take the measure of disabling an entire phone and not just the Touch ID features. Apple is facing a class action lawsuit over the feature.

In an interesting about face, Apple on Thursday released an updated version of iOS 9.2.1 for iTunes that will fix phones bricked by "Error 53" and prevent future unofficial Apple repairs from bricking phones.

In a statement given to Mashable, Apple said:

Some customers' devices are showing 'Connect to iTunes' after attempting an iOS update or a restore from iTunes on a Mac or PC. This reports as an Error 53 in iTunes and appears when a device fails a security test. This test was designed to check whether Touch ID works properly before the device leaves the factory.

Today, Apple released a software update that allows customers who have encountered this error message to successfully restore their device using iTunes on a Mac or PC.

We apologize for any inconvenience, this was designed to be a factory test and was not intended to affect customers. Customers who paid for an out-of-warranty replacement of their device based on this issue should contact AppleCare about a reimbursement.

Apple also updated its support document for "Error 53" on its website. If you have an iPhone that was bricked by "Error 53," plugging it into iTunes and running the latest iOS 9.2.1 update should restore the phone and get it up and running properly.

Although the new update will fix bricked phones — and prevent a non-Apple authorized repair from bricking phones in the future — there is a security-based caveat — the Touch ID sensor will no longer work.

That's because the Secure Enclave stored within the Touch ID sensor still needs to be paired and secured. Only Apple and Apple-authorized repair shops can do this.

What this means is that if you do replace your home button on an iPhone 6 someplace other than an Apple Store — you no longer need to worry about your phone bricking. Still, doing this will mean that you will be unable to use Touch ID on the phone.

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