Apple confirmed Wednesday that the U.S. Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission are investigating whether the tech giant violated security laws in how it disclosed information for software updates that slowed older iPhones.
The company, led by CEO Tim Cook, said it was responding to questions from government agencies, but maintained that it would never “do anything to intentionally shorten the life of any Apple product or degrade the user experience.”
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The probe comes after reports last year revealed Apple was deliberately slowing older iPhone models through software updates. Some reports suggested that the company was intentionally sabotaging the customer’s older devices to push them to purchase new iPhones, but the company denied this claim.
Instead, the company issued an apology in December, but claimed that it slowed phones to prevent them from randomly shutting off, which may happen with older, degraded batteries.
“We’ve been hearing feedback from our customers about the way we handle performance for iPhones with older batteries and how we have communicated that process,” Apple said in an open letter to customers. “We know that some of you feel Apple has let you down. We apologize.”
“Our goal is to deliver the best experience for customers, which includes overall performance and prolonging the life of their devices,” Apple said in a statement on Dec. 20. “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.”
Apple further released an offer that would allow customers to replace their older phone batteries for $29 in 2018 — down from the typical $79 charge. It also revealed a plan to roll out a battery health feature in the spring to allow users to monitor their phone’s battery efficiency.
“These actions were taken to further assist our customers and help extend the life of their iPhones,” the company reiterated in a statement Wednesday.
But its admission was also met with backlash, and more than 30 lawsuits were filed against the company in the United States alone.
Following the criticism, Cook said in an interview with ABC News, “Maybe we should have been clearer” in communicating its practices with customers.
While Apple has confirmed the federal probe into the company’s potential security violation, it maintains that it is continually striving to create quality, long-lasting devices.
“Our goal has always been to create products that our customers love. Making iPhones last as long as possible is an important part of that,” the company said.
