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Apple is exploring whether to offer rebates to customers who previously purchased fresh iPhone batteries in the wake of a controversy about its practice of slowing down older devices.
In December, Apple faced immense criticism after engineers discovered that it throttled the performance of its operating system, iOS, on certain older iPhones in order to keep their batteries alive. In response, Apple said it would provide discounts on battery replacements.
But a top Republican lawmaker investigating the issue — Sen. John Thune, who leads the tech-focused Commerce Committee — wanted to know what would happen to consumers who already purchased new batteries at their previous, higher prices.
Thune asked Apple in a letter this January: “Has Apple explored whether consumers who paid the full, non-discounted price for a replacement batter in an effort to restore performance should be allowed to seek a rebate for some of the purchase price?”
In response, Cynthia Hogan, the iPhone giant’s vice president for public policy in the Americas, told Thune in a reply released Tuesday: “Yes, we are exploring this and will update you accordingly.”
This article originally appeared on Recode.net.
