The Direction Generale de la Concurrence, de la Consummation et de la Repression des Fraudes (DGCCRF) of France has imposed a 25 million euro fine against Apple for deliberately slowing down its old models to boost up sales of its latest flagships.
According to Digital Trends, the smartphone maker was first sued last 2017 after it added several updates to its operating system that caused older iPhone models to slow down. Apple claimed that the updates were to prevent the older models' batteries from acting up when it adjusts to the latest features.
Critics of the smartphone maker claimed that the move was set to encourage its old model buyers to upgrade their phones to the latest releases of the company and boost its market sales for the recent ones.
The DGCCRF claimed that Apple should have informed its consumers about the feature and how it would affect their smartphone usage. It added that if customers knew about the adverse effects the updates would cause on their older models, they could have opted to purchase new batteries instead of feeling the need to upgrade their units.
In a statement, the DGCCRF claimed it found Apple to have committed an offense that amounted to deceptive commercial practice. The statement read that Apple concealed from customers the presence of a dynamic power management system that came from its iOS updates.
Furthermore, Apple was also sued for the same reason by other parties and was even forced to replace the batteries of old iPhone model users for a limited period at a free cost. It was then revealed that for users who owned old iPhones, they could easily disable the feature that drains their batteries if they have already updated to the latest iOS.
The Jurist claimed that the DGCCRF first investigated concerns about the adverse effects of the iOS 10.2.1 and iOS 11.2 updates that caused older models to slow down. The phones affected by the updates were labeled as the iPhone 6, SE, and 7.
Although the iOS updates could easily be reverted to a previous version, the feature caused other users to either replace their batteries or to purchase newer models released by the company to rid of the discomfort of using a slowed phone.
The DGCCRF labeled the offense as "misleading commercial practice by omission." Apart from the 25 million euro fine, Apple was also required to issue a press release and announce the suit against them for a month. The company has accepted the fine and has complied with the press release.
