The Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission are reportedly looking into Apple’s practices following news in December that the company did in fact slow down older phones as their batteries aged. The point of the slowdowns was to prevent devices from shutting down suddenly, but it also inadvertently lent credence to an old tech conspiracy theory: that Apple deliberately hobbles old devices.
Now, Bloomberg is reporting that the two government agencies have requested information from the company. The inquiry is nascent right now, and it’s far from any potential enforcement measures.
Apple has already taken measures to alleviate consumer ire. It came forward and explained why the slowdowns occurred, and apologized for not being clearer. It also lowered the price of an iPhone-battery replacement for the 2018 calendar year, from $79 to $29.
The battery dustup is just one of many issues Apple is wrestling with right now. Yesterday, it was reported that the company is delaying features in the upcoming iOS 12 in order to fix issues in the glitchy, poorly received iOS 11.
