Brazil fines Apple $2 million for not including charger with iPhone 12

The Brazilian consumer protection regulator Procon-SP has fined Apple $2 million for selling iPhone 12 series without a charger.

Back in December, the agency informed Apple that selling an iPhone without the power brick in the box is a violation of the Consumer Defense Code in the country. Apple responded by saying doing so will reduce carbon emissions and the use of rare-earth metals to save the environment. The company also mentioned that customers already have spare adapters and providing another would be unnecessary.

Apple did not provide enough evidence on how the omission of the charger is helping the environment. If you are an Android user upgrading to iPhone or a user upgrading from an older iPhone, then you will need to buy a new power adapter because the new iPhone uses USB-C standard on one side and Lightning on the other. So Apple’s way of helping reduce e-waste isn’t actually helping.

Fernando Capez, Procon-SP’s executive director, warned Apple saying that it needs to respect and understand Brazilian consumer law and institutions. Also, the company has not mentioned whether it will offer the same technical support to its customers buying third-party chargers as it gives to the customers who buy Apple chargers.

Apple has also been fined for misleading advertising and unfair terms. The agency said some customers reported that Apple didn’t repair their phones which suffered water damage even though the devices were under warranty.