iPhone users are finally getting paid Apple's $500 million settlement, three years after it was agreed.
This means that iPhone users who were involved in the 2020 class action lawsuit against Apple will be receiving some money, CNET reported.
The technology giant agreed to the settlement after the lawsuit accused it of slowing down older iPhone models. Apple admitted to doing this in 2017, stating that its iOS software sometimes caused older iPhone models to slow down.
While users accused the company of doing this in order to make people buy newer models, Apple denied this and stated the slowdown was only designed to ensure the phones did not shut down while performing certain tasks, or, when the battery was low.
Newsweek has contacted Apple for a comment.
Apple also did not disclose this feature to buyers, which added to their concerns that they slowed down due to age, a 2020 report from The Verge said.
Apple agreed to the settlement and apologized to iPhone users at the time. It offered replacement batteries to those who complained and changed its software.
Now, three years after the settlement, a judge has finally allowed payments to be made to those involved in the lawsuit.
iPhones are some of the most popular smartphones in the U.S. The iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Pro Max and iPhone 14 Pro were the top smartphones in the U.S., according to data from April 2023, collected by market research firm Counterpoint. The iPhone 14 was the most popular with a 14 percent sales share.
The settlement received approval in March 2020, and consisted of an estimated 3 million claims, according to CNET. Only those who registered to be part of the class action lawsuit will receive a payout.
Those who registered will now be receiving a check for $65.
The settlement took so long to proceed as two iPhone owners objected to several terms and wished to appeal certain sections. The appeal was lost, however, when it was brought to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, according to CNET.
iPhones involved in the settlement included the models iPhone 6, 6S, 6S Plus, 6 Plus, or SE running iOS 12.2.1 or later. Also included is the iPhone 7 or 7 Plus which ran old iOS software from December 2017.
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Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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Robyn White is a Newsweek Nature Reporter based in London, UK. Her focus is reporting on wildlife, science and the ... Read more
