Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Apple iPhone lawsuit: Have you owned an older device? If this £768m lawsuit is successful, you could get damages

Apple iPhone lawsuit: Have you owned an older device? If this £768m lawsuit is successful, you could get damages

Up to 25 million Britons who owned an older iPhone model in 2017 could be able to claim damages from Apple if the lawsuit is successful.
A consumer champion is suing Apple for £768m over a software update in 2017 that effectively slowed down older iPhones.

Justin Gutmann is seeking damages on behalf of up to 25 million iPhone owners in the UK who were affected by Apple's practices.

Apple has admitted that a software update released in 2017 hampered the performance of devices, although it claims the software was meant to protect the phone's battery life.

Critics have accused the company of purposefully reducing the effectiveness of older models to push customers towards buying newer ones.

The company previously paid $113m to settle a similar case in Arizona, and $500m to settle another in California.

Mr Gutmann's claim has been filed with the Competition Appeal Tribunal, the UK's specialist judicial body that hears cases relating to anti-competitive market practices.

It is an opt-out claim - meaning people who owned an iPhone 6, 6 Plus, 6S, 6S Plus, SE, 7, 7 Plus, 8, 8 Plus and iPhone X model do not need to actively join the case to seek damages.

"Instead of doing the honourable and legal thing by their customers and offering a free replacement, repair service or compensation, Apple instead misled people by concealing a tool in software updates that slowed their devices by up to 58%," Mr Gutmann said.

"I'm launching this case so that millions of iPhone users across the UK will receive redress for the harm suffered by Apple's actions.

"If this case is successful, I hope dominant companies will re-evaluate their business models and refrain from this kind of conduct," he added.

The scandal erupted following a study by a Reddit user who claimed that Apple's tech automatically slowed phones when the battery has a diminished charge capacity.

Apple admitted causing the issue and apologised for the apparent downgrade.

In a statement, the company explained that as the lithium-ion batteries used in its phones age they become less able to provide the top levels of electrical current needed.

The problems with peak current draws especially occur when batteries are cold or low on charge - "which can result in the device unexpectedly shutting down to protect its electronic components", Apple said.

Lithium-ion batteries lose their capacity over time due to the physical wear-and-tear of ions passing through the material of the battery.

But iPhone users had complained about their devices turning off abruptly even when they had a significant amount of charge left.

The company eventually said it would be replacing users' batteries for a discounted rate for a limited time and also introduce a feature to allow users to turn off the power management tool.

The company said it had never and would never do anything to intentionally shorten the lifetime of a product. Its chief executive Tim Cook publicly apologised and said Apple has not tried to mislead anyone with the software.

However Mr Gutmann claims Apple did not do enough to inform customers about its battery replacement service and that the company has abused its market dominance.

Apple has not commented on the new legal claim.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
Intel Reports Revenue Beats but Sees 81% Rise in Losses
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
Tulsi Gabbard Unveils Evidence Alleging Political Manipulation of Intelligence During Trump Administration
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Trump Announces Coca-Cola to Shift to Cane Sugar in U.S. Production
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
Moonshot AI Unveils Kimi K2: A New Open-Source AI Model
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
×