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Apple made headlines years ago when it was revealed the company was intentionally slowing down older iPhones, which has led to a lawsuit that it will now have to send out payments for. There was more to the story than planned obsolescence. Because Apple said it tried to compensate for aging batteries, which couldn’t handle newer software updates at full strength. However, the court of public opinion found Apple in the wrong. It agreed to settle a “Batterygate” lawsuit in March 2020 for $500 million. But maintained that it did not do anything wrong. Still, it was a rough patch for Apple. Especially since it throttled the performance of iPhones in secret.
Payments have finally started to go out for the settlement, and users will receive their compensation in the method they originally selected. Though the payouts took nearly four years to be sent out, that’s not the only thing Apple did to rectify the situation. The company also slashed the price of battery replacements. In addition to adding new battery health transparency features. It also gave users the option to turn off the performance throttling features. On a related note, Apple is working on new battery technology that could prevent this kind of thing in the future.
How much will you get from the Apple lawsuit payments?
Of the $500 million settlement, there will be $310 million added to a fund that will be divided among the class members. This equates to about $92 per class member — payments are $92.17 to be exact — per eligible iPhone. So, if you had a bunch of iPhones that were affected by the Batterygate issue, you could get upwards of a thousand dollars from Apple. The problem is, that you had to make these claims years ago. If you haven’t yet, you’re out of luck.
The first time Apple debuted performance throttling tools was with iOS 10.2.1, which was seeded in February 2017. The iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, or iPhone SE may have been eligible for compensation per the settlement. But as we mentioned, the claim deadline of October 6, 2020, has long passed.
Why did it take so long for the payments to go out?
Although you can’t claim money now, you may have forgotten that you claimed the funds a few years ago. If so, it’s worth checking your bank account to see if you’ve got any $92 payments from Apple. The settlement funds going out might explain otherwise strange positive transactions from IN RE APPLE INC CO ENTRY DESCR: Payouts on your statement.
Four years is a long time to wait for payments to go out. But not in the world of class-action suits. These are surrounded by long legal processes and logistical headaches, so getting compensation can take a while. In fact, the payments were actually on time. As it was previously announced they would be sent out in January 2024. If you did receive a payout, it’s a nice bonus to start the new year off with.