After long last, iPhone owners are now able to get a piece of a settlement linked to a class-action lawsuit against Apple’s throttling of devices with older batteries.
Users can submit a form to claim roughly $25 per device from the company’s proposed settlement.
In March, Apple agreed to a preliminary settlement of up to $500 million in response to a lawsuit dating back to 2017 that accused the company of throttling older iPhones. The feature was rolled out as part of iOS 10.2.1, but was not communicated to customers.
Apple admitted that it was throttling the iPhones to prevent shutdowns due to degraded batteries. A software update gave iPhone owners the option to disable throttling, and in 2018, battery replacements were discounted to only $29.
How to claim $25 from Apple
The Apple customers eligible for the $25 per device claim are those in the U.S. who owned the iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6S, iPhone 6S Plus, and the original iPhone SE running iOS 10.2.1 or later before December 21, 2017, and who owned the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus running iOS 11.2 or later before the same date.
The claim form, which may be submitted online or through snail mail, may be accessed through a webpage that was set up for the settlement. However, people who are eligible to claim $25 from Apple will need to input the serial number of the affected iPhone. A search tool is offered for those who no longer have access to their phone’s serial number, but it will require information that includes the claimant’s Apple ID, full name, and home address.
The exact amount that owners of the older iPhones will receive may vary slightly, depending on the number of claims submitted under the settlement. The deadline for submitting the claims is October 6.
