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Apple responds to US probes of iPhone slowdown

Apple says it's never done anything "intentionally" to shorten the life of its products. The DOJ and SEC have questions about that.

Erin Carson Former Senior Writer
Erin Carson covered internet culture, online dating and the weird ways tech and science are changing your life.
Expertise Erin has been a tech reporter for almost 10 years. Her reporting has taken her from the Johnson Space Center to San Diego Comic-Con's famous Hall H. Credentials
  • She has a master's degree in journalism from Syracuse University.
Erin Carson
2 min read
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Apple is under scrutiny over iPhone slowdowns it said prevented unexpected shutdowns. 

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Apple is playing ball with the US government, which is looking into the manufacturer's controversial decision to slow down older iPhones to accommodate aging batteries. 

"We have received questions from some government agencies and we are responding to them," Apple said in an emailed statement. 

The response comes a day after Bloomberg reported  that the US Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission are investigating Apple for how it disclosed information in software updates that slowed down older iPhones. That includes the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s, released in 2014.

The company faced backlash after word spread in December about the slowdowns. A handful of lawsuits have been filed alleging that Apple slowed the phones down to encourage consumers to upgrade to newer models.

Apple has tried to quell the anger. "As we told our customers in December, we have never -- and would never -- do anything to intentionally shorten the life of any Apple product, or degrade the user experience to drive customer upgrades," the company said.

Apple said the update was intended to help prevent iPhones with older batteries from shutting down unexpectedly.

The SEC and DOJ declined to comment.

In response to the controversy, Apple is offering a  discount on replacement batteries. The company is also working on a feature in its iOS software that will show iPhone owners information on battery health. Owners will be able to see if a power management feature, which can be turned off, is being used to prevent shutdowns.

Updated 10:40 a.m. PT: Adds DOJ declined to comment. 

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