Apple To Pay $113 Million To Settle iPhone Throttling Allegations
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — A $113 million settlement has been reached with Apple to settle allegations the company misled consumers about iPhone software updates that purposely slowed their devices to mask battery issues, state Attorney General Xavier Becerra announced Wednesday.
"Apple withheld information about their batteries that slowed down iPhone performance, all while passing it off as an update," Becerra said in a statement. "This type of behavior hurts the pockets of consumers and limits their ability to make informed purchases."
The complaint was filed by the state of California, 33 other states, and the district attorneys for the counties of Los Angeles, San Diego, Alameda, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz. California will receive $24.6 million of the total settlement.
Apple was accused of equipping their iPhone 6 and 7 generation devices with batteries that were particularly susceptible to performance loss, leading to phones suddenly powering off when their batteries couldn't provide enough power to support processing performance. The complaint further alleges Apple tried to manage the problem through software updates by throttling, or slowing, processing performance, and claiming the updates would actually improve battery power.
Apple also agreed to injunctive terms, including clear disclosures on iPhones and Apple's website informing consumers when updates will affect processing performance and how the company manages battery performance issues.
"With this settlement, the technology company has pledged to provide clear and conspicuous communication to consumers about lithium-ion batteries, unexpected shutdowns and performance management," Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey said in a statement.
Apple previously agreed to pay up to $500 million in restitution to settle private class action litigation over the issue of throttling.