A South Korean consumer group, Citizens United for Consumer Sovereignty, has filed a criminal complaint against Apple CEO Tim Cook regarding “Batterygate,” alleging the company deliberately shortens the lifespan of its handsets.
Apple has published an apology letter to customers for slowing down older phones to compensate for erratic battery performance. The tech giant is offering $29 replacement batteries for those with an iPhone 6 or later. The discount, which represents a $50 savings, starts in late January and ends in December 2018. Apple will also add more battery health information to iOS to let users know when the battery begins to compromise performance.
“For the sake of its loyal fans, Apple has to take responsibility over the slowing iPhones,” Park Soon-jang, an official at the advocacy group told Reuters by phone.
The group also represents about 120 plaintiffs in a civil damage suit against Apple filed earlier this month.
