Apple has been fined €25m (£21.2m) over investigation into iPhone-slowing software.
France's competition and fraud watchdog, the Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Prevention (DGCCRF), confirmed that it was fining the tech giant after ruling that it had intentionally slowed down its products.
The case dates back to 2017 when Apple bosses admitted they had purposely restricted the processing power of microchips in older iPhone by introducing power management applications to iOS updates.
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However, after apologising last year for the issue and even offering discounts on battery replacements, the mobile giant was fined by the Italian government over it.
In a statement following the ruling, the DGCCRF said: "Following an investigation by the Directorate General for Competition, Consumption and the Suppression of Fraud (DGCCRF) and after the agreement of the Public Prosecutor of Paris, the Apple group agreed to pay a fine of €25m in the context of a criminal transaction.
"Seized on 5 January, 2018 by the Paris Prosecutor's Office to investigate the complaint of an association against Apple, the DGCCRF has shown that iPhone owners were not informed that installing iOS updates (10.2.1 and 11.2) could slow down their devices."
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Adding: "These updates, released during 2017, included a dynamic power management device which, under certain conditions and especially when the batteries were old, could slow down the functioning of the iPhone 6, SE models. and 7."
Responding to the fine, Apple said: "Our goal has always been to create secure products appreciated by our clients, and making iPhones that last as long as possible is an important part of that."
Last year Apple hit the headlines when it opened a program where it will pay anyone who discovers bugs and security holes in any of the company's devices.
The scheme - dubbed the 'Apple Security Bounty' - is an expansion of a project the tech giant started in 2016 to try and get to the bottom of flaws in the iPhone security.
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This new version now also includes iPads, Apple laptops and desktops, Apple TV as well as the Apple Watch.
Apple is offering a range of monetary 'prizes' depending on what hackers are able to delve into with payments available from £25,000 (£19,200) to $1,000,000 (£768,900).
The Bounty payments are determined by the level of access or execution obtained by the reported issue, modified by the quality of the report.
This means that anyone successful in finding a bug will be required to submit a detailed description of the exploit, including any preconditions necessary to getting the device into the impacted state.
Featured Image Credit: PA