​US iPhone Users Can Claim Stake Of $500 Million Settlement For Slowing Phones

US iPhone users will now be able to claim a stake of the company's $500 million (£399m) settlement for slowing down devices.

Anyone with an iPhone will be well aware of the issues with the ever-dwindling battery power, which Apple came out and apologised for a few years ago.

It actually prompted a class action lawsuit in the States, with Apple agreeing to pay out a maximum of $500m as part of the settlement terms.

Under the proposed settlement, Apple will provide a cash payment of around $25 (£20) to each eligible iPhone owner who submits a claim, with the total payout expected to fall between $310m (£247m) and $500m - depending on how many people choose to submit.

To meet the criteria, you must currently or have previously owned either an iPhone 6/iPhone 6 Plus/iPhone 6S/iPhone 6S Plus/iPhone SE that ran iOS 10.2.1 or later before 21 December 2017 or an iPhone 7/iPhone 7 Plus that ran iOS 11.2 or later before the same date.

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A website has been set up for eligible customers to submit a claim or review alternate options.

The website explains: "Under the proposed settlement, Apple will make a minimum, non-reversionary payment of $310,000,000 and a maximum payment of up to $500,000,000, depending on the number of claims submitted."

It added that all claims must be submitted online or via letter by 6 October 2020.

Other options include excluding yourself from the lawsuit to retain the ability to sue Apple individually over the matter.

In 2017, Apple apologised after admitting to slowing down battery power on certain devices to prevent unexpected shutdowns.

In a statement, the company said: "We apologise. There's been a lot of misunderstanding about this issue, so we would like to clarify and let you know about some changes we're making.

"First and foremost, we have never - and would never - do anything to intentionally shorten the life of any Apple product, or degrade the user experience to drive customer upgrades. Our goal has always been to create products that our customers love, and making iPhones last as long as possible is an important part of that."

Shortly after Apple's controversial admission, the class action lawsuit was filed in December 2017.

However, according to the US District Court for Northern California, the settlement is not an admission of wrongdoing by Apple.

Topics: News, Technology, Apple, iPhone

Jess Hardiman

Jess is a journalist at LADbible who graduated from Manchester University with a degree in Film Studies, English Language and Linguistics - indecisiveness at its finest, right there. She also works for FOODbible and its sister page Seitanists, which are both a safe haven for her to channel a love for homemade pasta, fennel and everything else in between. You can contact Jess at [email protected].

@Jess_Hardiman