Arizona is investigating Apple to determine if the company’s slowdown of older iPhones is unfair trade practice.
According to documents that Reuters obtained, the investigation began in October 2018. Investigators have asked the company for information about sudden shutdowns of old devices.
The first accusations against Apple appeared back in 2017. Then the company admitted that it was slowing down older models because the lithium-ion batteries installed in them lose power over time. Their charge may not be sufficient for use in cold weather.
This sparked a wave of criticism from users, who suggested that Apple was slowing down older phones in order to force them to buy newer models.