Apple will pay $113 million to systematically ignore widespread iPhone battery issues in 2016. By early 2020, the company already paid millions to its customers, as well as other fines related to this problem.
A new version of iOS caused older iPhones to stop working unexpectedly and an update to fix this issue secretly altered the performance of these devices.
Some suspected that this was an intentional failure to incentivize customers with older devices to purchase a new mobile phone. Moreover, Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich, who led the investigation in several states, showed that Apple was well aware of the scale of the problem and the shortcomings in its solution.
Brnovich and his colleagues alleged that Apple had violated various consumer protection laws, such as the Arizona Consumer Fraud Act, for “misrepresenting and concealing information” regarding iPhone battery problems and the irreversible negative consequences of the update it issued to fix them, shares TechCrunch.
Apple agreed to pay 34 states and the District of Columbia $ 113 million, which they would divide among themselves as they choose, to settle the aforementioned allegations. The sum was reached through an agreement, so the payment does not represent a fine, such as the 25 million euros imposed by the French authorities.
The Arizona Consumer Fraud Law provides up to $ 10,000 for an intentional violation and even more, given the number of people affected.
In addition to payment, Apple must “provide accurate information to consumers about the status of the iPhone battery, its performance and energy optimization.”
In May 2020, Mark Brnovich sued Google alleging that it had violated the privacy of its users by collecting information about their location, even if they had disabled digital tracking.
