Australia just slapped Apple with a $6.6 million fine

Australia wants Apple to pay up AUD 9 million (roughly $6.6 million) in fines because the company recently refused to fix iPads and iPhone that was previously repaired with third-party parts. Users who were affected had reached out to Apple when they noticed their phones were bricked with an “Error 53,” which is basically a software update that Apple puts in place anytime outside parties repair phones.

Apple claims the company told about 275 Australian customers whose devices were bricked that their phones were not eligible for repairs. This wasn’t the case. Since then, Apple has reached out to 5,000 affected customers, according to Australia’s Competition and Consumer Commission.

Speaking on the issue back in 2016, Apple confirmed with The Verge:

When the error first showed up — that it was the result of “security checks” to make sure a legitimate Touch ID sensor was being used. “If iOS finds a mismatch, the check fails and Touch ID, including for Apple Pay use, is disabled.”

Either way, Apple has to pay for this mistake to the tune of $6.6 million, which in reality, is just a drop in the bucket.

Do you have any thoughts on this news? Let us know your thoughts down below.

For more Apple news, check out: 

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Kevin Raposo

Kevin is KnowTechie's founder and executive editor. With over 15 years of blogging experience in the tech industry, Kevin has transformed what was once a passion project into a full-blown tech news publication. Shoot him an email at kevin@knowtechie.com or find him on Mastodon or Post.