Apple fined $20 million for selling iPhones without chargers

A Brazilian judge fined Apple $20 million on Thursday for selling iPhones without chargers, describing the 'practise as abusive' and forcing customers to purchase an extra item.

The appealable judgement came after Apple was hit with a separate fine of over $2.5 million by Brazil's justice ministry in September for the same offence and prohibited from selling its iPhone 12 and 13 models without chargers.

A Sao Paulo civil court judge ordered fresh penalties of 100 million reals as compensation in response to a complaint brought by the Brazilian Consumers' Association.

In October 2020, Apple announced that it would discontinue offering outlet chargers with new iPhones to help minimise electronic trash.

But the decision, according to Judge Caramuru Afonso Francisco, "requires consumers to purchase a second product for the first to work."

He directed the California corporation to start including chargers with all new purchases and Apple start giving them to all Brazilian customers who purchased an iPhone 12 or 13 in the previous two years.

Apple is having problems with chargers in Europe too.

The European Parliament enacted a rule last week requiring all smartphones, tablets, and cameras to adopt USB-C connections as the sole standard for charging starting in late 2024, forcing Apple to alter the way its phones are made.

(With inputs from Agencies)