Canadian iPhone owners could soon get a payment from Apple, if courts approve a settlement in a class action lawsuit against the company over iPhone battery throttling.
According to a website set up for the lawsuit spotted by MacRumors, Apple agreed to pay between $11.1 and $14.4 million CAD to settle the lawsuit. The B.C. Supreme Court will decide whether to approve the proposed settlement on January 29th. If approved, eligible iPhone owners can submit a claim for payment of up to $150 per affected iPhone from Apple. However, the total number of claims will impact the payout.
It’s worth noting that Apple has denied the allegations described in the lawsuit and that the settlement isn’t an admission of fault.
The class action lawsuit covers any current or former resident of Canada (excluding Quebec) who prior to December 21st, 2017, owned and/or purchased an iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus and/or iPhone SE with iOS 10.2.1 or later installed, and/or an iPhone 7 or 7 Plus with iOS 11.2 or later installed.
Canadians who meet the above requirements will be able to submit a claim here once the lawsuit is approved. Anyone who wishes to opt out of the class action in order to retain their rights to sue Apple over these allegations must do so by January 10th.
The lawsuit stems from a 2017 scandal surrounding how Apple handled software tweaks to compensate for degrading iPhone battery performance. In December of that year, the company confirmed that it intentionally slows down older iPhones to prevent unexpected shutdowns caused by old batteries. The intentional slowdowns were part of a new power management system introduced in iOS 10.2.1. However, Apple didn’t explain the change in the update’s release note, sparking outcry and allegations that Apple was slowing down old phones to encourage customers to upgrade to newer models.
Eventually, Apple apologized for the lack of transparency and temporarily reduced the price of iPhone battery replacements. In Canada, battery replacement costs fell from $99 to $35 at the time.
In 2018’s iOS 11.3 release, Apple introduced a new battery health menu in settings that, to this day, details the amount an iPhone’s battery has degraded compared to when it was new and whether the iPhone is using performance management to avoid unexpected shutdowns.
Last year, Apple settled a similar lawsuit in the U.S., agreeing to pay up to $500 million USD (about $669 million CAD).
Source: Lawsuit website, MacRumors
