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ROME (Reuters) – Italy's antitrust regulator said on Wednesday it was fining Apple Inc. (AAPL.O) and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd (005930.KS) 5 million euros ($ 5.7 million) each due to complaints about the use of software updates to slow down their mobile phones.
A woman looks at the screen of her mobile phone in front of an Apple logo outside her store in Shanghai, China on July 30, 2017. REUTERS / Aly Song
Apple has been fined another $ 5 million for failing to provide customers with clear information about the maintenance or possible replacement of the handset battery.
Italian consumer groups complained that mobile software updates reduced the functionality of devices and were designed to encourage customers to buy new handsets.
The antitrust entity said in a statement that some firmware updates Apple and Samsung "had caused serious malfunctions and significantly reduced performance, thus speeding up the replacement process."
He added that the two companies did not provide their customers with adequate information on the impact of the new software "nor on any way to restore the original functionality of the products".
Apple acknowledged last year that the iPhone software had the effect of slowing down some phones with battery problems, but denied having already done anything to intentionally shorten the life of a product.
The company is excused for its actions and has reduced the cost of battery replacement. He also announced that he would change software to show users if the batteries on their phones were working well.
Samsung's software updates for its phones have not been questioned yet.
($ 1 = 0.8760 euros)
Reportage by Angelo Amante; Written by Crispian Balmer; Edited by Mark Potter
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