Apple has been fined heavily for making misleading claims about the waterproofing of iPhones. The Italian Competition Authority (AGCM) has fined Apple €10 million.
The problem is with the 2017 iPhone models, iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus. The lack of clarity in iPhone water resistance statements has put Apple in crisis.
Apple’s claim that iPhones can be water resistant up to 30 minutes at depths of up to 4 metres is found to be misleading, and this applies only to regulated laboratory experiments with pure water.
It is also questioned why water resistant is not included in the warranty, when it is claimed to be so. Even after the iPhone was marketed as a water-resistant smartphone, the claim that it could not provide a warranty in the event of something happening after falling into the water was found to be against consumer protection. It is considered a case of deceiving the public with misleading claims.
Apple has previously been fined by the Italian regulatory body for retaining older phones using software updates.
Apple has now been fined a total of €10 million for a pair of offenses. This includes allegations that the company did not share the required information with customers, including information about the phones’ batteries, and that the company was interfering with the performance of older iPhones without any notice. Earlier, the company had agreed to pay $500 million to settle another corruption complaint.