Source: Apple / apple
Any Apple iPhone user that has been around for a while is familiar with the struggles of not upgrading your phone in a timely manner. Or rather, when Apple says so. If you’ve ever tried to hold on to your beloved, older model iPhone, more than likely, you experienced very slow processing speeds or just overall user difficulty.
Well, now it looks like Apple will have to cough up some coins on this one! The tech giant agreed to settle up a class action lawsuit alleging that the company intentionally slowed down older iPhone models. With the settlement agreement, Apple will have to pay out up to $500 million.
The agreement comes after months of negotiations and now awaits the approval of U.S. District Judge, Edward J. Davila on April 3 to be finalized.
According to court documents, Apple will be required to pay a minimum of $310 million. Of that, either $1,500 or $3,500 is to be paid out to the members of the class action lawsuit, while $25 is owed to anyone who once owned an affected older iPhone model. The devices that qualify are:
- iPhone 6
- iPhone 6 Plus
- iPhone 6s Plus
- iPhone 7
- iPhone 7 Plus
- iPhone SE
The lawsuit digs a bit deeper from there by including the IOS requirements. Your device should’ve been running iOS 10.2.1 or later, or if you owned an iPhone 7 or 7 Plus, iOS 11.2 or later; installed before December 21, 2017.
Now its important for people to understand that Apple has capped the payout at $500 million (including legal fees). Therefore, individual payment amounts may vary depending on how many people file a claim. If that total exceeds $500 million, the figures will be reduced.
This controversy dates back to 2017 when Reddit users started to notice that iOS was pretending to slow down processor speeds, making iPhone owners believe that their device’s battery life was nearing its end when that wasn’t really the case. And now, after a three-year uphill battle, Apple will have to cough up millions.
Source: Complex
