iPhone users who had their devices purposefully slowed by Apple are now able to apply for compensation.
The payout comes as a result of Apple’s ‘Batterygate’ saga, during which it was discovered that Apple throttled iPhone performance in order to protect devices’ battery life without informing their customers.
The company said that it made the decision as a way of prolonging the life of older phones rather than, as many customers assumed, a way of subtly forcing people to upgrade to a later model
Apple agreed to pay up to $500 million to settle the claims, as well as an additional €25 million fine levied by France’s competition watchdog.
“Our actions were all in service of the user, I can't stress that enough. Maybe we should have been clearer at a point in time but our actions were always the purest,” Apple CEO Tim Cook said at the time.
In order to be part of the settlement, United States customers must have purchased:
- an iPhone 6, 6 Plus, 6s, 6s Plus, or SE device that ran iOS 10.2.1 or later before December 21, 2017
- an iPhone 7 and 7 Plus device that ran iOS 11.2 or later before December 21, 2017
Each person will receive $25 per device, however such payment is liable to go down if the $500 million total is exceeded.
In its fourth quarter of 2017 alone, Apple made $52.6 billion.
Customers will have to go through this website hosted by the settlement management organisation Angeion Group. Claimants can expect the money after a scheduled sign off on 4 December, following which the cheque will be delivered “promptly.”
The claim form requires customers to enter the serial number of their iPhone, which can be found in the device’s Settings menu, on the back of the original packaging, or on the receipt.
If claimants did not retain the device, packaging, or receipt, there is a tool on the website which can search for the serial number via the user’s Apple ID.
Following the complaints, Apple rolled out an update for iOS which allowed people to check on the health of their battery.
It also said it would work “on ways to make the user experience even better, including improving how we manage performance and avoid unexpected shutdowns as batteries age”.
