Apple has been fined US$27 million for slowing down older iPhone models without informing customers clearly of this change.
The fine was imposed by France’s competition and fraud watchdog DGCCRF.
Apple confirmed in 2017 that the company was slowing down some older iPhone models, all in the name of “prolonging the life” of the devices.
The devices that were affected are as follows:
- 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
Apple has denied accusations that the company was attempting to force people to upgrade to newer models through this approach.
“The effects of performance management on these newer models may be less noticeable due to their more advanced hardware and software design,” Apple said.