Apple has been fined 25 million euros (£21m, $27m) for deliberately slowing down older iPhone models without making it clear to consumers.
The fine was imposed by France's competition and fraud watchdog DGCCRF, which said consumers were not warned.
In 2017, Apple confirmed that it did slow down some iPhones, but said it only did so to "prolong the life" of the devices.
Apple said in a statement that it had resolved the issue with the watchdog.
Why does Apple slow down old iPhones?
Many customers had long suspected that Apple slowed down older iPhones to encourage people to upgrade when a new one was released. In 2017, the company confirmed it did slow down some models as they aged, but not to encourage people to upgrade. It said the lithium-ion batteries in the devices became less capable of supplying peak current demands, as they aged over time. That could result in an iPhone unexpectedly shutting down to protect its electronic components. So, it released a software update for the iPhone 6, iPhone 6s and iPhone SE which "smoothed out" battery performance. The practice was confirmed after a customer shared performance tests on Reddit, suggesting their iPhone 6S had slowed down considerably as it had aged, but had suddenly speeded up again after the battery had been replaced.What did the regulator say?
The French watchdog said iPhone owners "were not informed that installing iOS updates (10.2.1 and 11.2) could slow down their devices". As part of the agreement, Apple must display a notice on its French-language website for a month. It says Apple "committed the crime of deceptive commercial practice by omission" and had agreed to pay the fine.Does Apple still slow down older iPhones?
Yes. Since Apple confirmed the practice in 2017, it has implemented it on several more iPhones including:- iPhone 6, 6 Plus, 6S, 6S Plus
- iPhone SE
- iPhone 7 and 7 Plus
- iPhone 8 and 8 Plus running iOS 12.1 or higher
- iPhone X running iOS 12.1 or higher
- iPhone XS, XS Max and XR running iOS 13.1 or higher
DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
Latest Stories
-
Car ploughs into crowd outside LA nightclub, injuring 30
14 minutes -
GNAT President calls for parliamentary legislation to protect reinstated PTAs
2 hours -
NPP Abanga blames his NDC twin brother for his misfortune
4 hours -
NPP Abanga breaks ranks to shield NDC twin brother in ‘galamsey’ accusations
4 hours -
Saminu Abdul Rasheed smashes national record again with 9.84s sprint in Georgia
5 hours -
Blekusu Coastal project: We’re reclaiming our coastlines – Housing Minister
7 hours -
Pricey plantains push Ghana’s market sellers to diversify
7 hours -
Full list: NPP delegates approve 54 reform motions, reject proposals on youth age, election supervision
8 hours -
WAFCON 2024: Cynthia made it easy – Chantelle hails goalkeeper after penalty saves
8 hours -
Cyber Security Authority boss suspended over use of military bodyguard
8 hours -
WAFCON 2024: I want to make history – Grace Asantewaa dreams of lifting the trophy
8 hours -
Afenyo-Markin accuses NDC of rebranding and claiming credit for NPP projects
8 hours -
2024 WAFCON: Grace Asantewa shines as Black Queens reach semis
8 hours -
WAFCON 2024: Ghana beat Algeria 4-2 on penalties to book semi-final spot for the first time since 2016
9 hours -
NPP Delegates reject motion to shift polling station selection oversight to regional committees
9 hours