The US Department of Justice and Securities and Exchange Commission are both investigating whether Apple broke securities laws by not disclosing that it was intentionally slowing down older iPhones with aging batteries, Bloomberg reports. Sources familiar with the investigations said the government has requested information from Apple and has investigators examining public statements the company has made about the issue. While much attention has been paid to how the move irritated customers, the government seems to be looking at whether the company misled investors as well.
Both the DOJ and SEC refused to comment, and sources close to the investigation warned that the inquiries are still in their very early stages and may not result in any enforcement action once they have concluded. For its part, Apple confirmed being contacted by the government, with a spokeswoman saying simply, “We have received questions from some government agencies and we are responding to them.” Apple has announced plans to release new features in iOS 11.3 to let users monitor the health of their battery and turn off throttling — although the company warns that older devices will be more prone to random shutdowns without the safeguards in place — but that has done little to quiet user outrage, and the company is also facing a long list of class-action lawsuits from customers over the lack of transparency.