Arizona launching a multi-state investigation into iPhone slowdowns

Apple might be going back to court over "batterygate" again.

What you need to know

• Apple is facing another multi-state investigation.
• Arizona is investigating if Apple violated trade practice laws for slowing down older iPhones.
• Apple recently settled a class-action lawsuit related to the issue.

Only a couple days after it was reported that Apple is facing a multi-state antitrust investigation, it appears that another one is on the way.

Reported by Reuters, Arizona is is leading a multi-state investigation into the company. Specifically, the Attorney General is looking into Apple's practice of slowing down older iPhones and if their actions violated trade practice laws.

In the ongoing probe since at least October 2018, investigators have asked Apple for data about "unexpected shutdowns" of iPhones and the company's throttling, or slowing down, of the devices through power management software, documents Reuters obtained through a public records request showed.

This issue has been long litigated and understood to be a decision that Apple made to ensure its phones would not unexpectedly shut down from aging battery issues.

Apple came under fire in 2017 when Primate Labs, the maker of software for measuring a phone's processor speeds, revealed that some iPhones became slower as they aged. Apple later acknowledged that it reduced power demands - which can slow the processor - when an aging phone's battery struggles to supply the peak current the processor demands. Apple said without its adjustments, iPhones would have unexpectedly shut down from power spikes.

Some customers claimed that Apple implemented the slow down of devices to push customers into having to purchase newer iPhones, a claim that Apple has consistently denied. However, the company did reduce the cost of battery replacement for those who wanted to keep their older devices. Apple also recently settled a class-action lawsuit related to this issue.

Earlier this year, Apple agreed to pay up to $500 million to settle a proposed class-action lawsuit related to the battery issues.

Neither the attorneys general offices in Arizona and Texas or Apple offered comment on either investigation.

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