Apple Responds to U.S. Government Investigation Over iPhone Slow Down Scandal

The investigation is still in the early stages.

February 1, 2018

Apple Store — KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA - 2018/01/22: A couple is seen passing by the Apple Machine store at Kuala Lumpur. Kuala Lumpur or commonly known as KL is the national capital for Malaysia and is the fastest growing metropolitan regions in South-East Asia. (Photo by Faris Hadziq/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
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Apple has responded to news that it is being probed by the U.S. government for purposely slowing down older iPhones.

Apple confirmed that the U.S. Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission's investigation is underway, but it is in its early stages. “We have received questions from some government agencies, and we are responding to them,” an Apple spokesperson told Bloomberg, stressing "we 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 tech giant also shared the following statement with Mashable:

Last month, Apple admitted to slowing down older iPhones. The reasoning behind the delay was to use software updates that prevented the batteries from shutting down unexpectedly. They issued an apology along with a $50 discount on replacement batteries for the iPhone 6 and older models.

"First and foremost, 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 statement read. "Our goal has always been to create products that our customers love, and making iPhones last as long as possible is an important part of that.”