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Apple fined by French authorities for slowing down old iPhones

Saf Malik
February 10, 2020

The company said they had taken action to stop old devices from shutting down

Apple has been fined £21 million for slowing down older iPhones without informing customers.

France’s Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Prevention (DGCCRF) announced that Apple would be paying the fine on Friday after recognising it’s wrongdoing in the situation.

The company did not inform consumers how certain iOS updates would affect iPhone 6, 7, and SE models.

Apple said in a statement (via Mashable) that it had slowed down old devices to keep iPhones from shutting down as the battery degraded.

The company said: “Our goal is to deliver the best experience for customers, which includes overall performance and prolonging the life of their devices.

Lithium-ion batteries become less capable of supplying peak current demands when in cold conditions, have a low battery charge or as they age over time, which can result in the device unexpectedly shutting down to protect its electronic components.

“Last year we released a feature for iPhone 6, iPhone 6s and iPhone SE to smooth out the instantaneous peaks only when needed to prevent the device from unexpectedly shutting down during these conditions.

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