Error 53 Even After Restore / Update

Hi all,

I have an old iPhone 6s which has had a touch ID sensor replacement in the past. Touch ID wasn’t working of course but I wasn’t using it on that device anyway.

I’ve since had to do a restore and can’t get the phone to boot past the “Connect to iTunes” screen.

When I connect to iTunes and try to Update / Restore, I get the dreaded Error 53. I’ve been through the process listed here: https://support.apple.com/en-il/HT205628

But I get Error 53 no matter how many times I update or restore. I thought Apple fixed this back in iOS 9.1? I’m trying to restore to iOS 12.4 here! I don’t mind if Touch ID still doesn’t work, and don’t need any data from the phone, I just want to be able to restore the phone to factory settings.

I even called Apple and all they did was take me through the steps on that web page over the phone.

Has anyone seen this before?