Israel’s consumer protection bureau is investigating Apple over ‘Batterygate’

Israel’s consumer protection bureau is investigating Apple over “Batterygate” — the failure to disclose to consumers that its software could slow performance in some iPhones, reports Reuters.

The Consumer Protection and Fair Trade Authority said in a statement it had questioned the head of Apple in Israel, Rony Friedman. According to Reuters, a spokesman at the Authority said it had the power to levy significant fines in civil proceedings, but that it was too early to discuss such a possibility.

The Batterygate brouhaha alleges that Apple’s iOS software updates for iPhone 6, 6 Plus, 6s, 6s Plus, SE, 7, and 7 Plus were provided to iPhone users under the pretense that the software updates were necessary to deliver enhanced security and performance. In reality, however, the updates allowed Apple to slow down the performance of these updated iPhones. This practice is known as “throttling” because Apple intentionally slows the phone’s CPU.  

In December 2017 Apple published an apology letter to customers i 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, ends in December 2018.