Italian authorities have fined Apple €10 million (NZ$17 million) over claims about the water resistance of iPhones.
The country's competition regulator, Autorità Garante della Concorrenza e del Mercato (AGCM), has ruled the US tech giant misled customers in two ways, with each resulting in a €5 million fine.
Firstly, Apple claimed iPhone 8 through to the iPhone 11 were water resistant at depths of 1-4m for up to 30 minutes.
The AGCM has ruled these claims were only true under lab conditions using still, pure water and did not hold up in real-world testing.
Secondly, Apple's warranty terms voided coverage for water-damaged phones and the company would not repair phones that had been damaged by water.
In its small print, Apple has always advised against swimming or bathing with an iPhone, and does also say liquid damage is not covered by its warranty.
But the AGCM ruled it was an "aggressive commercial practice" to advertise the iPhone's water resistance capabilities but not guarantee them in the warranty.
Apple has not released a statement about the ruling.
