Apple Fined in France over iPhone-Slowing Software

France's consumer watchdog said Friday that Apple had agreed to pay EUR 25 million ($27.4 million) for failing to tell iPhone users that software updates could slow down older devices.

The scandal erupted in December 2017, when the U.S. tech giant admitted that its latest iOS software slowed down the performance of older phones whose battery life had deteriorated.

Critics accused the firm of susceptibly forcing users to buy phones sooner than they needed, and the outcry forced Apple to upgrade its software and offer steep discounts on battery replacements.

In January 2018, French authorities opened an investigation at the behest of the group Halt Planned Obsolescence (HOP).

"iPhone owners were not informed that installing iOS updates (10.2.1 and 11.2) could slow down their devices," the DGCCRF anti-fraud agency said in a statement.

"This is a historic victory against scandalous ready-to-rubbish practices, for consumers as well as the environment," HOP co-founders Laetitia Vasseur and Samuel Sauvage said, adding that they will consider filing claims for additional damages for iPhone clients.

Apple said it supported the deal with the DGCCRF which will help it to escape a public trial that is potentially embarrassing.

"Our goal has always been to create secure products appreciated by our clients, and making iPhones that last as long as possible is an important part of that."

Source: AFP