Apple has reached a settlement to pay up to $14.4 million (CAD) to eligible members of a class-action lawsuit in Canada regarding the intentional slowing down of some older iPhones. Each claimant stands to receive between $17.50 and $150, depending on the number of claims submitted.
In late 2017, it was revealed that Apple had implemented a power management feature on certain older iPhone models to prevent unexpected shutdowns caused by aged batteries losing their peak energy loads. This led to speculation that Apple was intentionally slowing down these devices to push customers towards upgrading.
Following backlash from customers and numerous lawsuits, Apple apologized for the lack of transparency and temporarily reduced the price of battery replacements from $79 to $29. While denying any wrongdoing, Apple has decided to settle the lawsuit in order to avoid ongoing litigation costs.
All Canadian residents (excluding Quebec) who owned an iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, or iPhone SE with iOS 10.2.1 or later installed before December 21, 2017, or an iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus with iOS 11.2 or later installed before the same date may be eligible for compensation. To receive payment, claimants will need to provide their iPhone’s serial number on a claim form, which will be available soon.
This settlement follows a similar agreement in the US where Apple agreed to pay up to $500 million to affected consumers. Payments have already started going out in the US, with some consumers receiving $92.17 as part of the settlement.
Stay tuned for more updates on how affected Canadians can claim their compensation from Apple for any slowdown issues experienced with their older iPhones.
