25 dollars. That is what they will receive an amount to be determined from iPhone users in the US, as part of an out-of-court settlement that will settle one of the many class-action lawsuits that it had open, some in Spain.
In late 2017 Apple found itself in one of the biggest scandals in its history, after it was discovered that it was ‘to blame’ for the iPhone to be slower as time goes by, something that until then was only a conspiracy theory.
It may have happened to you with a device, especially if you have had an iPhone 6 or iPhone 7; After a couple of years, you notice that the mobile is slower and you start to think if it is up to you. Suddenly, changing your mobile and buying a new model is something much more attractive.
When Apple was accused of planned obsolescence
The words ‘planned obsolescence’ were much repeated back then, and user and buyer associations accused Apple of influencing users to buy the latest iPhone models.
Apple’s explanation made some sense. With the passage of time and use, the battery of the mobile worsens; To avoid the mobile being blocked or turning itself off, the system ‘slows down’ so as not to use the hardware as much.
However, this did not help the millions of users who have found that their mobile is slower for no apparent reason, and since then Apple has spent years trying to mitigate the damage that this scandal did to its image, introducing new controls and indicators of battery health on iOS.
Apple will pay iPhone users
Now, Apple will have to pay $ 25 to each of the iPhone users who suffered from the loss of performance of their devices. That is the out-of-court settlement the company has reached with the promoters of the class-action lawsuit that was imposed in the US shortly after the problem was discovered.
After two and a half years, users will be able to receive about $ 25 in their accounts, a figure that can vary depending on how many decide to sign up through the official page. All US users who purchased an iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, or iPhone SE with iOS 10.2.1, or iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus with iOS 11.2, may request payment, although doing so will result in They agree not to sue Apple for the same thing.
Apple has been quick to clarify that this agreement does not mean that it has done anything wrong and that it does not imply a confession of guilt; He claims that he has opted for payment so as not to continue an expensive and lengthy judicial process.
In Spain, it is unlikely that users can request a similar payment due to differences in our judicial system; However, Facua asked the prosecution to investigate Apple in case it could have committed a crime against users, although nothing has been known since then. In France, a similar complaint ended with a paltry 25 million euro fine.