A class action lawsuit in Canada which alleged that Apple secretly throttled the performance of some of its iPhones has now reached the point where the claims period has begun.
As reported by Joe Rossignol at MacRumors this week, this is the “batterygate” suit which dated from 2018, where Apple was sued in several provinces of Canada, including Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, and Saskatchewan. Not long before that Apple had revealed that it had started throttling 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 didn’t mention that the change had happened in the update’s release notes. As a result, Apple apologized and for a while reduced the cost of iPhone battery replacements to $35 (CAD) until the end of 2018.
Anyway, that case has now come to a settlement, which was approved by a court in British Columbia on March 4 when Apple agreed to pay up to $14.4 million (Canadian dollars). Each affected customer who submits a claim will receive as much as $150 or as little as, rather less excitingly, $17.50, from Apple. The exact amount is dependent on the total number of claims that are submitted.
Apple denied the allegations and “the settlement does not represent an admission of fault.” Instead, the settlement allows Apple to ensure it doesn’t spend more time in court or costs on litigation.
So, who qualifies and how to do go about it? The form to make the claim is here and here are the details of whether you qualify or not.
As the report explains, “To be eligible, you must be a current or former resident of Canada (excluding Québec) who owns or owned an iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, and/or iPhone SE with iOS 10.2.1 or later installed or downloaded, and/or an iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus with iOS 11.2 or later installed or downloaded, before December 21, 2017.”
This is another battery lawsuit that Apple has had to address. A similar one in the U.S. led to payments of a higher figure, up to $500 million with payments beginning for that in January this year.
Lawsuits are the last thing Apple wants to get caught up in, and there comes a point when its vigorous defences are less useful than settling.
Since then, the company has ensured there are explanations that batteries lose their potency over time. Indeed, the latest software has detailed explanations about battery lifespan, something that’s expected to come to the iPad as well in the coming weeks.
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