Australia fines Samsung for misleading advertising of waterproof phones – IT Pro – News

Samsung will be fined around nine million euros in Australia for misleading ads for its phones. The ads showed the phones working in the sea and in swimming pools, but according to the manufacturer, the phones were not suitable for this.

Samsung made a social media announcement for the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy Note 8 phones, among others, The Australian Consumer Authority says competition and consumers† These phones have an IP rating for water resistance, but are not usable at sea or in swimming pools, according to Samsung’s small print. This poses a risk to the charging port especially if users try to charge the phone while it is still wet.

The organization said the advertisements ran from March 2016 to October 2018. ACCC filed a commercial advertisement complaint three years ago† The Australian Federal Court ruled in favor of the ACCC and imposed a fine of A$14 million, currently approximately €9.2 million.

One ad, among other things, shows a person using a device while sitting underwater, while another talks about “recording a surfing session at sea.” Samsung is making its devices waterproof by using glue between the front, edge, and back and by covering the points where water can penetrate, such as the SIM slot and USB port, with a rubber edge. There is no guarantee. Samsung has not yet responded to the complaint.

Five years ago, Sony Money back For customers of Xperia smartphones that suffered water damage as part of a US class-action settlement. Sony has announced that some smartphones will run underwater in the past, but she has It was advised in 2015 not to use “waterproof” Xperia devices underwater, even if that was possible according to IP68 certification.