10 January 2024

Apple begins paying out after claims it 'deliberately slowed down iPhones'

Apple is a dishonest corporation, where it acts against the consumer/ their customers, and this is just one example:


Apple doesn't admit wrongdoing in the $500 million lawsuit.

Apple has started making payments in a class action lawsuit over claims it deliberately slowed down certain iPhones in the US.

X users have posted about the payments, which look to work out to around $92 (£72) per person.

This is all part of a $500m (£394m) settlement, after Apple admitted back in 2017 it was slowing down phone performance in older models to avoid unexpected shutdowns related to battery fatigue.


After admitting it was slowing down older phones, Apple started offering discounted battery replacements at $29 (£23) - but many people claimed they had already spent hundreds of dollars to buy new phones. Some claimants said if they knew they could just buy new batteries, they might not have bought a new handset.

Apple did not admit wrongdoing. As part of the settlement, the company agreed to pay $310 million (£240 million) to $500 million (£400 million), including about $93 million (£73 million) to lawyers representing consumers.

And it would seem like the payments have started to happen. When the settlement was announced, it was reported that affected iPhone owners could get $25 (£20) - but it seems like that number has gone up to $92 (£72).


Consumer champion Justin Gutmann has brought a similar case to the UK courts. He filed a claim with the Competition Appeal Tribunal in 2022, seeking damages of approximately £768 million for up to 25 million UK owners of a range of older iPhone models.

The claim alleges that Apple misled users over the incident by pushing them to download software updates it said would improve the performance of some devices but, in fact, slowed them down.

It relates to the iPhone 6, 6 Plus, 6S, 6S Plus, SE, 7, 7 Plus, 8, 8 Plus and iPhone X models.

Gutmann told the BBC he was pleased about the payments starting to be made in the US, but indicated it doesn't impact the UK case.

"It doesn't advance our position here, they haven't admitted anything - they've settled," he told the BBC.

"It's a moral victory but not much use to me. I've got to plough on and pursue the case in the UK jurisdiction."

In a statement, Apple said: “We have never, and would never, do anything to intentionally shorten the life of any Apple product, or degrade the user experience to drive customer upgrades.

“Our goal has always been to create products that our customers love, and making iPhones last as long as possible is an important part of that.”

Source:uniladtech


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