Apple has agreed to pay up to half a billion dollars to settle a class-action suit that accused the tech giant of slowing down older iPhones to compel users to upgrade to newer models.
According to CNN, the settlement agreement, which is subject to approval by a judge on April 3rd, proposed that Apple be required to pay the owners of certain models $25 per affected device, which could end up totaling anywhere between $310 million to upwards of $500 million. The documents that were released last Friday in US District court explained that the amount each user receives could increase or decrease, depending on how many claims are filed and additional legal fees and expenses approved by the court.
Apple admitted back in December of 2017 to using software updates to slow down their devices after customers and tech analysts noticed that the updates caused diminished performance in their phones. Irate users alleged the updates were designed to force them to upgrade. Still, Apple claims it was aimed at addressing issues with older lithium-Ion batteries that made the phones suddenly shut down to protect their components. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
The company offered an apology and $79 battery replacements, which they later dropped to $29 in January of 2018, but not before costing themselves a hit in revenue for that year.
Any iPhone users in the United States who are interested can file a claim for partial settlement if they owned an iPhone 6, 6 Plus, 6S, 6S Plus, 7, 7 Plus or SE device bought before December 21st, 2017.
