Apple will pay $14.4 million to iPhone users in Canada to settle a class action lawsuit over the iPhone’s “Batterygate” controversy. As part of the settlement, which was green lit by a Canadian court on Monday, eligible iPhone users will receive between $17.50 and $150 CAD from Apple.
The class action lawsuit accused Apple of secretly throttling iPhones as their batteries degraded. Apple silently rolled out the performance throttling as a way to prevent unexpected iPhone shutdowns in 2017. This came as it transpired that iPhone batteries could not maintain peak performance as they aged. However, Apple rolled this out as part of iOS 10.2.1 in February 2017, without appropriately communicating the change to customers.
In response, Apple issued a formal apology, reduced the price for battery replacements, and provided users with the option to turn off this feature. It began paying out $500 million to iPhone users in the United States in January as part of a settlement of a class action lawsuit.
Now, payments are set to begin in Canada as part of Apple’s settlement of a class action lawsuit specific to that country. As reported by CBC News, Apple will pay $14.4 million to settle the case. Each iPhone user will get between $17.50 and $150, depending on how many people submit a claim. The settlement is available across Canada, except for Quebec.
The judge ultimately decided that the proposed settlement was “fair, reasonable and in the best decision of the class,” said class counsel Michael Peerless in an interview with CBC News.
“Apple did the right thing and came forward and, in a sense, stood behind their product without making a legal admission that they did anything wrong. And that’s very normal” for a class action, Peerless said.
If you owned and/or purchased an iPhone 6, 6 Plus, 6s, 6s Plus, SE, 7 or 7 Plus with iOS 10.2.1 or later (for iPhone 6, 6 Plus, 6s, 6s Plus, or SE) and/or iOS 11.2 or later (for iPhone 7 or 7 Plus) installed or downloaded, before December 21, 2017, you may be eligible for a payment from this settlement.
More details on submitting a claim will be available in the coming days on the settlement website.
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