Apple Starts Sending 'Batterygate' Settlement Payments to iPhone Users
Apple in 2020 agreed to pay up to $500 million to settle a class action lawsuit in the U.S. that accused the company of "secretly throttling" some iPhone models, and payouts finally started going out this week to individuals who submitted a claim.
The website for the so-called "batterygate" settlement said payments would likely start to be distributed this January, and payouts have began on schedule. MacRumors readers Ken Strand and Michael Burkhardt are among the individuals who have received payments of $92.17 per claim from Apple as part of the settlement.
The lawsuit was filed in December 2017, shortly after Apple revealed that it throttled the maximum performance of some iPhone models with "chemically aged" batteries when necessary to prevent the devices from unexpectedly shutting down. Apple introduced this power management system in iOS 10.2.1, but it initially failed to mention the change in that update's release notes. Apple apologized about its lack of transparency, and temporarily lowered the price of iPhone battery replacements to $29 in 2018.
Despite apologizing over the way it communicated the change, Apple repeatedly denied all allegations and never admitted to any legal wrongdoing. Apple said it agreed to the settlement only to "avoid burdensome and costly litigation."
The class included any U.S. resident who owned an affected iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, and/or iPhone SE that ran iOS 10.2.1 or later, and/or an iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus that ran iOS 11.2 or later, before December 21, 2017. The deadline to submit a claim for a payment was in October 2020.
Apple continues to have a performance management system on the iPhone 6 and newer.
Popular Stories
Apple today released new firmware update for both the Lightning and USB-C versions of the AirPods Pro 2. The new firmware is version 6F7, up from the 6B34 firmware released in November. Apple does not provide details on what features might be included in the refreshed firmware beyond "bug fixes and other improvements," so it is unclear what's new in the update. Apple does not give...
Apple plans to add a new text effects feature to the Messages app on iOS 18, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter. While it is already possible to send iMessages with bubble effects or full-screen effects, such as invisible ink or confetti, the text effects would allow you to animate individual words within a message. With the Messages app set to gain RCS support on iOS 18, ...
iOS 18 is just around the corner, with Apple set to unveil the software update during its WWDC keynote next month. Below, we recap new features and changes rumored for iOS 18, which is projected to be the "biggest" update in the iPhone's history. iOS 18 is rumored to include new AI features for Siri and many apps, and Apple plans to add RCS support to the Messages app for an improved texting ...
iOS 18 will be unveiled at Apple's annual developers conference WWDC in less than two weeks, and the update will include some new features for CarPlay. Below, we recap new accessibility features that Apple recently previewed for CarPlay, and discuss the current status of the promised next-generation CarPlay. The first beta of iOS 18 will likely be made available to members of the Apple...
It has been over a year and a half since the current Apple TV was released, so you may be wondering when a new model will be released. Below, we recap rumors about the next-generation Apple TV, including new features and lower pricing. The current Apple TV 4K was introduced in October 2022. Key new features compared to the previous model from 2021 include a faster A15 Bionic chip, a larger...
Apple is planning a major AI overhaul for Siri in iOS 18, and Bloomberg's Mark Gurman says that the update will let Siri control all individual features in apps for the first time, expanding the range of functions the personal assistant can perform. Siri will be able to do things like open specific documents, move a note from one folder to another, delete an email, summarize an article,...