If the action is successful, up to 25 million Britons who purchased an older iPhone model in 2017 could seek compensation from Apple.
A consumer advocate is suing Apple for £768 million over a 2017 software update that slowed down older iPhones.
Justin Gutmann is seeking compensation for up to 25 million iPhone owners in the United Kingdom whose privacy was compromised by Apple’s activities.
Apple has acknowledged that a 2017 software upgrade hindered the performance of smartphones, despite assertions that the software was intended to preserve the battery life of the phone.
Critics have accused the firm of lowering the effectiveness of older versions on purpose to encourage people to purchase newer models.
The company previously paid $113 million in Arizona and $500 million in California to resolve similar cases.
Mr. Gutmann has filed a lawsuit with the Competition Appeal Tribunal, the specialized court in the United Kingdom that hears disputes involving anticompetitive market activities.
It is an opt-out claim, meaning that iPhone 6, 6 Plus, 6S, 6S Plus, SE, 7, 7 Plus, 8, 8 Plus, and iPhone X owners do not need to actively join the lawsuit to get compensation.
“Instead of doing the right thing by their customers and offering a free replacement, repair service, or compensation, Apple misled users by hiding a tool in software upgrades that slowed their devices by up to 58%,” Mr. Gutmann stated.
“I’m filing this lawsuit so that millions of iPhone customers in the United Kingdom will receive compensation for the harm caused by Apple’s actions.
If this case is successful, I hope dominating corporations would reevaluate their business models and refrain from such behavior,” he continued.
The incident occurred as a result of a Reddit user’s study claiming that Apple’s technology automatically slowed down phones with depleted batteries.
Apple acknowledged causing the problem and issued an apology for the perceived downgrade.
In a statement, the business noted that as the lithium-ion batteries used in its smartphones age, they become less capable of delivering the required maximum levels of electrical current.
Apple stated that when batteries are cold or low on charge, difficulties with peak current consumption can cause the device to unexpectedly shut down to safeguard its electronic components.
Due to the physical wear and tear of ions traveling through the battery material, lithium-ion batteries gradually lose their capacity over time.
However, iPhone customers had reported that their smartphones shut off unexpectedly even while they still had a large amount of energy.
The business eventually announced that it will offer subsidized battery replacements for a limited time and introduce a feature that would allow users to disable the power management function.
The corporation stated that it has never and will never intentionally reduce a product’s lifespan. Tim Cook, the company’s top executive, issued a public apology and stated that Apple had not intended to deceive anyone with the software.
However, Mr. Gutmann asserts that Apple did not adequately educate users about its battery replacement service and has abused its dominant market position.
Apple has made no statement on the new legal suit.
