The so-called Batterygate scandal and lawsuit ended in a settlement in the US, with Apple paying between $310m and $500m in the spring to settle the dispute. The company did not admit wrongdoing, but did acknowledge that it had throttled performance of the iPhone 6s (and some other models) in order to preserve battery life, and did not notify users that it was doing this.
The payout, the ‘confession’, and the addition of a more transparent Battery Health section to Settings all combined to mollify some aggrieved users. But many outside the US – who therefore did not have recourse to any compensation – remain dissatisfied. And the Euroconsumers organisation is seeking to put this right.
The consumer group is demanding that Apple pay out compensation for the unannounced throttling in the EU and has already filed lawsuits – via its associated groups Test-Achats and OCU – in Belgium and Spain. It is seeking up to 180 million euros in damages.
“Apple pushed updates to mask problems with the battery, knowing it would slow down phones,” explains Els Bruggeman, head of policy and enforcement at Euroconsumers, adding that European consumers “just want to be treated with the same respect that was given to consumers in the United States.”
In Italy and France, Apple has already had to pay substantial fines.
This article originally appeared on Macwelt. Translation by David Price.
