San Francisco: After a US senator asked Apple questions about its controversial decision to quietly slow the performance of older iPhones, the Cupertino-headquartered company replied that it may offer rebates to users who paid full price for a battery replacement.

The tech giant used software updates to slow down the performance of some iPhones

“Apple told a US senator it is ‘exploring’ whether to offer a rebate to customers who paid full-price for a battery replacement,” CNET reported late on Tuesday.

Senator John Thune, the chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, had sent a letter to Apple with several follow-up questions, including whether customers who purchased batteries at full-price might be compensated.

“The company has also promised the committee some follow-up information, including an answer about additional steps it may take to address customers who purchased a new battery at full price,” Thune was quoted as saying by CNET.

Apple faced a backlash after it admitted last month that it used software updates to limit the performance of older iPhone models, including the iPhone 6, iPhone 6S, iPhone SE and iPhone 7.

The tech giant used software updates to slow down the performance of some iPhones, a decision the company defended by saying it prevented devices from erratically shutting down.

The goal, according to the company, was to “smooth out” peak power demands and prevent older iPhones from sudden shutdowns as their lithium-ion batteries degrade. But it resulted in a disappointing performance for users, according to CNN.