The authority said Apple’s disclaimer that warranty does not cover liquid damage was misleading.
It cited promotional claims relating to the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone XR, iPhone XS models and more
Italy's competition authority said Monday it had fined Apple EUR 10 million (roughly Rs. 90 crores) for misleading claims about the 'water-resistant properties' of various iPhone models.
It said the US tech giant "did not make it clear that this feature exists under certain specific conditions", notably in laboratory tests with static and pure water, "and not under normal conditions of use".
It cited promotional claims relating to the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone XR, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone 11, iPhone 11pro and iPhone 11 pro Max models.
The authority also rapped Apple for a disclaimer that the warranty for the smartphones did not cover damage caused by liquids, saying it "was deemed to mislead consumers".
In addition, it said Apple's refusal to provide warranty service when the iPhone models concerned were damaged by liquids amounted to "an aggressive commercial practice".
"For these reasons, the authority has decided to impose penalties totalling EUR 10 million (roughly Rs. 90 crores) on Apple Distribution International and on Apple Italia," it said in a statement.
iPhone 12 Pro Series Is Amazing, but Why Is It So Expensive in India? We discussed this on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.
Get your daily dose of tech news, reviews, and insights, in under 80 characters on Gadgets 360 Turbo. Connect with fellow tech lovers on our Forum. Follow us on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News for instant updates. Catch all the action on our YouTube channel.