Brazil’s justice ministry has told Apple to halt sales of iPhones without wall chargers across the country and fined their local unit $2.3 million.
The decision follows a complaint from Brazil’s National Consumer Secretariat in 2021, which argued Apple was selling incomplete products by not including the charger.
Brazil’s consumer body also refused to accept the manufacturer’s argument citing sustainability reasons, adding that Apple could take other measures to cut environmental impact such as use of industry-standard USB-C.
Apple was slapped with charges of selling an incomplete product or lacking essential functionality and “refusing to sell a complete product through discrimination against the consumer and transferring responsibility to third parties”.
Also Read: Apple selling iPhone without power adapter is abusive and illegal – Judge
The manufacturer has already been fined by several other authorities in Brazil for similar issues. The justice unit claimed Apple had made no attempt to “minimise the damage” of sales without chargers following these complaints.
Alongside the fine and suspension, communications regulator Anatel has been ordered to revoke the registration of models from the iPhone 12.
Following the decision, Reuters reported comments from an Apple representative stating the company planned to appeal.
Also Read: EU orders Apple to switch to USB-C charging port by 2024
