- Apple agreed to pay up to $500 million to settle a class-action lawsuit over “batterygate,” which involved older iPhone models having their performance throttled to improve battery health.
- The announcement came in March, and the website for the settlement went online this week.
- If you want your $25 from the lawsuit, you need to fill out a claim form by October 6th, 2020.
The iPhone has been the focus of several controversies over the years, some of which were overblown, but one that was especially pervasive was Batterygate. Several years ago, Apple quietly began throttling the performance of older iPhone models based on the battery’s health to prevent unexpected shutdowns and other issues. After getting caught, Apple apologized, offered cheap battery replacements, and added a feature in iOS 11.3 that let iPhone owners track battery health in real-time, but the damage had been done, and lawsuits had been filed.
Earlier this year, Apple agreed to pay up to $500 million to settle the case (which itself was a combination of multiple class-action suits), but would not admit to wrongdoing. Consumers would receive $25 per affected iPhone, although the number could vary depending on the number of claims submitted. Months later, a website has been established that all affected iPhone owners can use to submit a claim form for their payout from Apple.
The site states: “If you are or were a U.S. owner of an iPhone 6, 6 Plus, 6s, 6s Plus, and/or SE device that ran iOS 10.2.1 or later before December 21, 2017, and/or a U.S. owner of an iPhone 7 or 7 Plus device that ran iOS 11.2 or later before December 21, 2017, you could be entitled to benefits under a class action settlement.”
The site then goes on to enumerate your rights and options in this settlement, explaining that your legal rights will be affected whether or not you choose to actively participate. If you want to get your $25 payment from Apple, you’ll need to submit a form online or print it out and send it in the mail. If you want to participate in other lawsuits regarding these claims and allegations of this case, you’ll need to actively exclude yourself and say that you do not want the payment. You can also object to the settlement for a variety of reasons and ask to speak at the hearing. Whichever of these options you choose (if you choose any), you need to do so by October 6th, 2020.
As for when you might get your money, don’t hold your breath, because the final hearing is currently scheduled for December 4th, 2020, at which point the court will consider any objections. They specifically say that they “do not know how long these decisions will take,” and warn that the date of the final hearing could change, which seems like a very real possibility considering the fact that we’re still in the middle of a pandemic.
