Apple Fined €10 Million in Italy Over iPhone 6 Performance Throttling, Faces European Class Actions

Court Confirms Antitrust Penalty

On May 29, 2020, Italy's Administrative Court of Lazio upheld a €10 million fine against Apple, originally levied by the Italian Antitrust Authority on October 24, 2019. The penalty addressed what regulators called unfair and aggressive commercial practices tied to iOS software updates pushed to iPhone 6 series devices.

According to the findings, Apple was aware that these updates could degrade performance on iPhone 6 devices but did not disclose this to users. Consumers were instead encouraged to install the updates, which allegedly led to reduced performance and, in many cases, prompted users to replace devices or batteries they otherwise would not have needed to replace.

Parallel Action in the United States

A similar pattern of allegations surfaced in a U.S. class action, where Apple proposed a settlement to pay $25 per affected iPhone, with a minimum aggregate payout of $310 million. American plaintiffs argued that software updates degraded phone performance in a way that misled consumers into believing their devices were reaching the end of their usable life, prompting unnecessary replacements or battery purchases.

European Consumer Groups File Class Actions

Euroconsumers, which says it represents 1.5 million consumers worldwide, along with member organizations Altroconsumo (Italy), OCU (Spain), Deco Proteste (Portugal), and Test Achats (Belgium), filed class action lawsuits against Apple in their respective countries. The suits seek compensation of at least €60 on average for each affected iPhone 6 owner.

Euroconsumers described Apple's conduct as part of a broader, global pattern designed to encourage replacement of older iPhones — a practice commonly referred to as planned obsolescence. The organization said this conduct caused financial harm to consumers and contributed to environmental damage through increased electronic waste.