Apple battery lawsuit: million of iPhone users could get payouts

Consumer champion Justin Gutmann is suing Apple for £768 million for misleading consumers - he alleges that an upgrade said to enhance performance actually slowed it down.

Gutman said: “instead of doing the honourable and legal thing by their customers and offering a free replacement, repair service or compensation, Apple instead misled people by concealing a tool in software updates that slowed their devices by up to 58%.”

In 2017, Apple admitted to slowing down old iPhones with low-capacity batteries, claiming it is a way of protecting the devices’ components. Chief executive Tim Cook publicly apologised, saying that the company had not tried to mislead consumers and it “never” intentionally shortened the lifespan of its products.

Apple previously paid $113m to settle a similar case in Arizona, and $500m for another case in California.

Up to 25 million people in Britain who owned an older iPhone model in 2017 may be able to claim damages if the lawsuit is successful. The models covered by this claim include the iPhone 6, 6 Plus, 6S, 6S Plus, SE, 7, 7 Plus, 8, 8 Plus and iPhone X models. It is an opt-out claim, meaning that customers do not have to actively join the case to seek damages.

Image from the Telegraph