A class-action lawsuit filed in 2019 over Apple’s Family Sharing feature has been settled for $25 million and if you are a U.S. resident and use it, a $30 check might be coming your way.
The allegations by Walter Peters claim that Apple “misrepresented the ability to use its Family Sharing feature to share subscriptions to apps.” According to the suit, Apple ran an advertisement promoting Family Sharing support in apps that did not actually support the feature. As a result, the suit states, people “were induced to purchase subscription-based apps… believing that those apps could be shared with up to six family members.”
Family Sharing technically works with all of Apple’s services—Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple News+, Apple Arcade, and Apple Card—as well as iTunes, Apple Books, App Store purchases, iCloud storage, and photos. Apple also says “eligible App Store subscriptions” can be shared, but very few developers allow subscriptions to be shared.
As a result of the settlement, Apple will pay up to $30 per person who a) and b) subscribed to a third-party app that used Family Sharing between June 21, 2015, and January 30, 2019. As usual, Apple admits no wrongdoing per the terms of the settlement, but since Apple changed its advertising practices after January 2019, it appears as though at least some blame can be applied.
If you fit the criteria, you can file a payment election claim on the Peters Family Sharing Plan site. You have until March 1 to file a claim before an April 2 hearing to finalize the settlement.
