Apple fined 10 million Euros for 'misleading' iPhone claim

Apple has been fined heavily by the Italian Competition Authority to the tune of 10 million Euros for making misleading claims about the waterproofing of iPhones. The problem was found with the 2017 iPhone models, the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus. 

Asianet Newsable English

Rome, First Published Dec 2, 2020, 3:05 PM IST | Last Updated Dec 2, 2020, 3:05 PM IST

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Lack of transparency in water resistance claims for iPhones has put Apple in crisis. Apple's claim that iPhones can be water resistant for up to 30 minutes at depths of up to 4 meters is misleading and applies only to controlled lab tests with pure water.

In addition, it is said that it has water resistance but it is not included in the warranty. Even after the iPhone was marketed as a water-resistant smartphone, the claim that it could not provide a warranty in the event of anything falling into the water was found to be against consumer protection. 

It is considered a case of deceiving the public with misleading claims. In fact, the Italian regulatory body had previously fined Apple for keeping old phones using software updates.

Apple has now been fined a total of 10 million Euros for a pair of offenses, including allegations that it did not share necessary information with consumers, including information about phone batteries, and that the company interfered with the performance of older iPhones without warning. 

Apple will have to pay the same fine in the US for the battery gate issue. Apple recently paid $113 million to settle an investigation into slowing down older iPhones in an effort to extend battery life. Earlier, the company had agreed to pay $500 million to settle another class action settlement related to the scandal.

When it comes to iPhone's waterproofing, Apple actually claims that it only offers waterproofing on a limited number of iPhones. It is not included in anything from the iPhone 6S and below. Even so, owning one is still beyond the reach of the average person. For example, the latest iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Mini, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone 12 Pro Max have an IP68 rating (maximum depth up to 6 meters and 30 minutes). The iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max have an IP68 rating (maximum depth up to 4 m and 30 minutes)