Apple has agreed to pay millions of dollars to 34 states over its previously controversial practice of intentionally slowing down older iPhones to extend their battery life.
The company will pay $113 million to settle an investigation by states including California and Arizona that Apple was not honest about iPhone battery problems that led to unexpected device shutdowns. Instead of disclosing the issue to consumers or replacing the batteries, it pushed a software update in December 2016 that affected the performance of older iPhone models.
The news upset Apple (AAPL) consumers as many believed it was an attempt by the company to get them to buy new iPhones.
“Big tech companies must stop manipulating consumers and tell them the whole truth about their practices and products ,” Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich, who led the investigation, said in a press release Thursday. “I am committed to holding these giant tech when they hide important information from users.”
At the time, the company issued a rare apology to users, temporarily dropped the price of replacement batteries from $79 to $29, and added a feature that allows iPhone users to monitor battery health
“We know some of you have been disappointed with the company. We apologize,” the company said in 2017. “First of all, we have never — and never will — do anything to intentionally shorten the life of any Apple product or degrade the user experience to increase customer upgrades.”
In March, Apple agreed to pay up to half a billion dollars to settle a lawsuit that alleged that Apple intentionally slowed down iPhones to force users to buy new ones.
In addition to millions of dollars in damages to the states, Apple agreed to provide updates about iPhone battery health, performance, and power management on its website or in installation notes .
