Apple ‘error 53’ sting operation caught staff misleading customers, court documents allege

Exclusive: ACCC claims staff wrongly told iPhone customers they were not entitled to free replacements or repair if device had been taken to unauthorised third party

Australia's consumer watchdog carried out a sting operation against Apple which it says caught staff repeatedly misleading iPhone customers about their legal rights to a free repair or replacement after a so-called "error 53" malfunction, court documents reveal.

Australian authorities lodged a high-profile case against Apple this year, after iPhone and iPad customers experienced a malfunction that rendered phones useless if it detects that a repair has been carried out by a non-Apple technician. The fault occurred between late 2014 until early last year.