US-Based iPhone Users Receive Long-Awaited Compensation for Apple’s Performance Throttling
After years of legal proceedings, US-based iPhone users are finally receiving compensation for Apple’s decision to throttle the performance of iPhones with degraded batteries. The settlement, reached in March 2020, faced delays due to class-action lawsuits, ultimately resulting in a minimum settlement of $310 million and a maximum of $500 million. Apple agreed to pay affected users $25 for each eligible iPhone, with the final amount varying based on the number of approved claims.
Recent reports indicate that standard payments have exceeded expectations, with users receiving $92.17. The settlement covers owners of iPhone 6, 6 Plus, 6s, 6s Plus, 7, 7 Plus, or SE models who experienced diminished performance on affected iOS versions before December 21, 2017. Claims had to be submitted by October 6, 2020.
The prolonged settlement process involved multiple legal challenges, including objections from parties such as Best Companies, Inc., claiming inadequate notice to non-natural persons. The US Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit ultimately dismissed the last appeal in November 2023, allowing payments to proceed in January 2024, as outlined in the settlement timeline.
Despite the delays, the core terms of the settlement remained unchanged. Apple admitted to slowing down iPhones in December 2017 but did not admit wrongdoing in the settlement. Similar legal battles persist, with Apple currently facing a comparable lawsuit in the United Kingdom related to iPhone performance issues.
In a separate settlement, US-based Apple customers who purchased MacBooks with defective “butterfly” keyboards between 2015 and 2019 are awaiting payments from a $50 million settlement fund. The claims review and validation process are ongoing, with no specified distribution date as of now. Source: ARS Technica
Ailani Gomez
Mathew Simon
Marshall Mcguire