In a triumph for iPhone users who felt the sting of alleged performance manipulation, the wheels of justice finally turned.
Apple, the tech giant, is on the cusp of compensating those involved in a class action lawsuit, which accused the company of intentionally slowing down older iPhones to nudge users towards upgrading.
The legal odyssey began its journey with preliminary settlement approval in March 2020. Though the window for claim submission has long since closed, the echoes of nearly 3 million claims resonate as they await their due compensation. A sum of $65, modest yet significant, is poised to land in the hands of each claimant, representing justice delayed but not denied.
However, two persistent iPhone owners who voiced concerns over specific settlement terms temporarily halted the march to compensation. Their efforts led to an appeal recently concluded in the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals, ultimately clearing the way for the compensation gears to resume their motion.
At the heart of the lawsuit lies Apple’s admission in 2017, acknowledging that its iOS software orchestrated a deliberate decline in the performance of aging iPhones. A ripple of discontent prompted the tech giant to deploy apologies, software updates, and an offer of replacement batteries to appease the disgruntled users.
Throughout the legal ordeal, Apple remained steadfast in its defense, vehemently denying any culpability. The company maintained that performance throttling was a strategic safeguard designed to avert untimely shutdowns during demanding tasks, especially when iPhones were older, subjected to extreme cold, or running on minimal battery reserves.
The beneficiaries of this compensation arrangement are iPhones of yesteryears: the iPhone 6, 6 Plus, 6S, 6S Plus, or SE, operating on iOS 12.2.1 or newer iterations. The umbrella of reparation also extends to the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, with iOS 11.2 or more recent versions, until December 21, 2017.
This settlement brings a modicum of closure to a contentious chapter in the tech giant’s history, offering restitution to those who felt their trust in their devices was exploited.