Unofficial iPhone Air Storage Upgrade Fails Reportedly with Error Code 4014
Apple may be signaling new hardware modification barriers: the latest attempts to upgrade the internal storage of an iPhone Air have failed. The modified device could not flash iOS, possibly indicating a software lock against unofficial NAND storage chips.
The Upgrade Attempt and Subsequent Failure
DirctorFeng was the modder who documented that he attempted such an upgrade from a 256G iPhone Air to 1T with crazy soldering. After he desoldered the original 1TB flash module and replaced it with a new chip, he connected the device to a Mac to flash the operating system, but failed in a termination with an error code of '4014'.
Then to confirm this, he used another 512GB NAND first and then again, and that was followed by the same 256GB module. All other attempts led to the same error code yet of '4014'.
A New Type of Storage Chip Identified
When DirectorFeng disassembled it, he found out that original 256GB storage had a serial number beginning with '2NB' and such configuration was not familiar at all for it did not appear to be sourced from the common suppliers such as Samsung, SK hynix, Toshiba or SanDisk. The modder speculated that the chip might actually be leftover stock from YMTC as the ex supplier to Apple affected by a trade restriction from the U.S.
What Implications This Storage Lock May Have
This essentially confirms two main possibilities. There may be no third-party NAND memory chips in the market that would be compatible with the new iPhone family. Alternatively, Apple may just be locking down the hardware to block end users from performing their own storage upgrades.
If that were true, it would really mean forcing such consumers who needed more storage to buy those modules at a premium from Apple firsthand, absolutely shutting their options to third-party repair and modification.
