The French authorities have issued Apple with a €25 ($27.4) million fine. It followed an admission that it slowed down older iOS devices.
iPhone Power Feature Lands Apple With Fine
The French Directorate General for Competition, Consumption and the Suppression of Fraud (DGCRF) conducted a two year investigation into Apple. It concluded that iPhone 6, iPhone SE and iPhone 7 users were not informed their device would slow down if they downloaded iOS 10.2.1. and 11.2 “”was likely to slow down the operation of their device.” The iOS power management features caused the slowdown. In 2018, Apple launched a program offering customers the chance to replace their iPhone battery for $29.
An Apple spokesperson told CNET:
Our goal has always been to create secure products that our customers love, and making iPhones last as long as possible is an important part of that. We are happy to have resolved this with the DGCCRF.
Good life lesson for Apple; don’t do anything (even if they think it is a good idea) unless you give the user the option of saying “no”. These lawsuits are silly; there was a very good reason for the slow-down, and Apple was very up front about it – albeit after the stink.