Apple starts sending the ‘Batterygate’ settlement payments: iPhones affected and how much could you receive?
Owners of Apple iPhones affected by ‘Batterygate’ are beginning to see settlement payments hit their bank accounts. Here’s how much will they get?
Back in 2017, owners of older Apple iPhones began to notice that their phones were becoming more sluggish and that their batteries were getting sapped in no-time to boot. While the tech behemoth admitted the software updates for its iOS were part of the problem, there was a simple explanation behind it.
Since the aging lithium-ion batteries just couldn’t hold a charge like they did when new, the new software was designed to slow performance to save customers from the chance of their iPhone unexpectedly shutting down. Affected iPhone owners weren’t biting and sued the company.
The aggrieved litigants in the class action lawsuit came out on top in the ‘Batterygate’ case and Apple agreed to pay up to $500 million as part of the 2020 settlement. Finally, those eligible for a payout are beginning to see the funds hit their bank account.
Apple starts sending the ‘Batterygate’ settlement payments: iPhones affected and how much could you receive?
As part of the settlement, Apple was required to pay owners of certain iPhone models $25 per device. However, that amount was dependent on the number of claims which had to be submitted by 6 October 2020. It’s been reported that roughly 3 million claims were filed.
Apple began to issue these payments from the beginning of 2024, as several users indicated on X (formerly known as Twitter), with the concept “IN RE APPLE INC.” Several owners have reported on social media that they have received payments of $92.17, sometimes multiple payments. Distribution of the payments is expected to conclude by the end of January 2024.
In order to be entitled to benefits under the class action lawsuit, the claimant had to be a US owner of an iPhone 6, 6 Plus, 6s, 6s Plus, and SE with iOS 10.2.1 or later and for iPhone 7 and 7 Plus users with iOS 11.2 or later before December 21, 2017.
What is ‘Batterygate’?
In 2017, Apple was brought to the dock after it was revealed that the company used what is known as ‘planned obsolescence’, meaning the tool by which many technological devices stopped working after a certain period. Apple saw the court rule against it after it was unmasked that the company deliberately slowed down older iPhones with each update of its iOS operating system. At that time, Apple appealed the lawsuit saying that this measure “prevented older batteries from completely shutting down with heavy workloads.”
The court ordered Apple to pay at least $310 million and a maximum of $500 million in compensation for the harm caused to its users. According to the plaintiffs, over 100 million consumers were affected by this measure taken by the company, but only about 3.3 million will see any benefit in their accounts.