Apple Ordered to Stop Selling iPhones without Chargers in Brazil

Apple on Tuesday was ordered by the Brazilian government to stop selling new iPhones without a charger included in the box in the country — reports Reuters.

The Brazilian government sees the practice as selling an incomplete product to consumers. In an order published in the country’s official gazette, Brazil’s Justice Ministry said Apple is selling iPhones without an essential component in a “deliberate discriminatory practice against consumers.”

Alongside the order to suspend iPhone sales without chargers in the box, the Justice Ministry also fined Apple 12.275 million reais ($2.38 million USD).

Brazil has historically opposed Apple’s decision to pull chargers from iPhone boxes. Apple first removed chargers from the iPhone 12, and Brazil at the time forced the company to include them in all units sold in the country.

Brazil last year fined Apple $2 million for not shipping chargers with new iPhones. A Brazilian judge earlier this year also ruled that the practice was in violation of consumer law and awarded the plaintiff in a case against Apple over the issue more than $1,000 in compensation.

Apple claimed that pulling chargers from iPhone boxes was the equivalent of removing 450,000 cars from the road per year. However, Brazilian authorities rejected Apple’s argument for emissions reduction, noting that there is no evidence of environmental protection from selling smartphones without a charger.

The order comes at a pretty inconvenient time for Apple, just one day before the tech giant launches the iPhone 14 lineup at its “Far Out” event on Wednesday, September 7.