A Brazilian judge fined Apple $20 million on Thursday for selling iPhones without chargers, calling it “abusive conduct” that requires users to purchase an additional item.
The judgement, which is appealable, 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 was prohibited from selling its iPhone 12 and 13 models without chargers.
In October 2020, Apple announced that it would discontinue offering outlet chargers
A Sao Paulo civil court judge awarded the new penalties of 100 million reais as compensation for a complaint brought by the Brazilian Consumers’ Association.
In October 2020, Apple announced that it would discontinue offering outlet chargers with new iPhones in an effort to help minimize electronic trash. But the decision, according to Judge Caramuru Afonso Francisco, “requires consumers to acquire a second product in order for the first to work.”
He ordered Apple to supply chargers to all consumers in Brazil who bought iPhone models 12 or 13 in the past two years and begin including them with all new purchases.
The tech giant 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.
By the end of 2024, all mobile phones, tablets, and cameras sold in the EU will have to be equipped with a USB Type-C charging port. From spring 2026, the obligation will extend to laptops. The new law, adopted by plenary on Tuesday is part of a broader EU effort to reduce e-waste and to empower consumers to make more sustainable choices.