Apple and Samsung fined for slowing down older phones

Apple and Samsung have each been fined millions of euros for deliberately slowing down older smartphones.

Italy’s competition authority, the Autorita Garante della Concorrenza e del Mercato (AGCM), handed fines of €10m (£8.8m) to Apple and €5m (£4.4m) to Samsung for “planned obsolescence” - where tech firms significantly reduce the performance of their products in a bid to get customers to upgrade.

The AGCM launched an investigation into the two tech giants in January after customers complained that certain software upgrades were having a detrimental effect on older devices, The Guardian reports.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

In a statement, the AGCM said: “Apple and Samsung implemented dishonest commercial practices,” adding that the firms “caused serious dysfunctions and reduced performance significantly”, prompting users to upgrade to newer models.

Apple was handed a heavier fine than Samsung because it “failed to tell customers important details about iPhone batteries”, such as how to prolong their device’s battery life, the BBC says.

Both companies must also “publish a declaration” on their Italian websites informing users of the watchdog’s decision, adds the broadcaster.

A Samsung spokesperson said the company was “disappointed” with the decision and would appeal. Apple has yet to comment.

Are you affected?

Owners of the Samsung Note 4 and iPhone 6 users are among those who may have downloaded software optimised for newer models.

In 2014, Samsung “insistently suggested” that Note 4 users should upgrade to a new version of Google’s Android operating system “intended for the more recent Note 7”, The Daily Telegraph reports.

Apple, meanwhile, was found to have carried out a similar practice on iPhone 6 users, handing them a software upgrade that was optimised for the iPhone 7, the newspaper adds.

However, the tech giant claimed the updates were aimed at helping users prolong their battery life and prevent sudden shutdowns.

And it has taken measures to reduce the performance-hindering impact of updates. Apple claims its most recent iOS 12 mobile operating system should bring a notable speed increase on older models.