Longtime iPhone users are starting to receive $65 payouts as part of a $500 million lawsuit that accused Apple of slowing down customers’ batteries to get them to buy new models
- Apple is going to pay out $500 million to settle a years-long lawsuit
- The tech giant was accused of deliberately slowing down customers’ batteries to force them to buy new phone models
- The payments will be equivalent to $65 per customer, according to reports
Apple plans to pay out $500 million to iPhone users to settle a years-long lawsuit accusing the company of deliberately slowing down customers’ batteries.
The so-called “batterygate” scandal has been labeled “one of the biggest consumer frauds in history” as it forced users to invest in new iPhone models.
Apple agreed to payout in 2020, which Apple says will be about $65 each Mercury News – despite continuing to deny any wrongdoing.
However, the payments were stopped because two iPhone users objected to the terms of the settlement. This week they lost their appeal in the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals – meaning customers are now getting their money.
The lawsuit was about stealthy mobile software that slowed down phones to prevent “accidental shutdowns.”
The so-called ‘batterygate’ scandal has been labeled ‘one of the biggest consumer frauds in history’
In December 2017, Apple admitted that iOS software had been tweaked to slow down the performance of older iPhones with declining battery life to prevent handsets from spontaneously shutting down.
Critics accused Apple of covertly forcing users to buy phones faster than necessary, and the outcry forced Apple to upgrade its software and offer sharp discounts on battery replacements.
As part of the agreement, Apple was required to provide the claims administrator with the details of anyone who owned or rented one of the models.
These include: iPhone 6, 6 Plus, 6s, 6s Plus, and SE devices with operating systems iOS 10.2.1 or later before December 21, 2017, and iPhone 7 and 7 Plus phones with iOS 11.2 or later before that date.
Users then had to file a claim before October 6, 2020.
According to Tyson Redenbarger, an attorney who represented clients in the case, about 3 million claims were filed. This means that the average payout will be $65.
Apple introduced new battery controls (pictured) in response to the backlash for slowing down older iPhone models. The controls provide more insight into the battery status
The class action lawsuit — filed in California in 2018 — said reports of unexplained iPhone shutdowns first surfaced in 2015 before peaking in the fall of the following year.
Users’ concerns centered around their phones turning off even though their batteries had more than a 30 percent charge.
At the time, Apple said in a statement, “We have never — and never will — do anything to intentionally shorten the life of any Apple product or degrade the user experience to encourage customer upgrades.”
DailyMail.com has reached out to Apple for comment.