Bloomberg, citing unnamed sources, reports that the U.S. Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission are now looking into whether or not Apple broke the law when it released software updates that slowed down older iPhones (to prolong battery life) and didn’t tell customers. Just before Christmas, the tech company admitted to doing so, and apologized. It also subsequently offered affected users a $29 battery upgrade.
The agencies have reportedly requested information from Apple. The investigation is in its early stages, Bloomberg wrote, and there’s no indication of whether Apple will eventually face any enforcement action.
Apple shares fell 1.3% to $165.87 on the news, which comes just a day after another report claimed sales of Apple’s new iPhone X have softened considerably after the holidays.
In investigating the throttling practices, the DOJ and SEC now join law firms representing plaintiffs in at least 35 class action suits claiming damages resulting from the iPhone slowdowns.
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