Apple Set To Pay Up To $500 Million To Settle Lawsuit Alleging The Company Slows Down Older Phones

TSR Tech: Roommates, it looks like Apple is going to be coming out of pocket for an allegation made by many, and taken to court in the form of a class action lawsuit. The suit accuses the company of slowing down older iPhone models to get users to buy new phones.

According to CNN, the settlement agreement will require Apple to pay the owners of certain iPhone models $25 per impacted device, totaling a minimum of $310 million and a maximum of $500 million, according to documents released in US District Court.

The amount each user receives could reportedly increase or decrease depending on how many people file claims and any additional legal fees and expenses approved by the court, the document says.

Back in December 2017, Apple admitted that it used software updates to slow down older iPhones, shortly after customers and tech analysts complained that the updates were negatively impacting the performance of their phones.

Some people suggested that Apple utilized the software updates to push users to upgrade to whatever the latest iPhone model is at the time, but the company says it was aimed at addressing issues with older batteries, and other bugs that could occur within the software.

Later, Apple apologized and offered battery replacements to customers for $79, which was decreased to $29 in January 2019. The company’s CEO, Tim Cook, admitted that its revenue took a hit because of the reduced price batteries.

As of now, customers can file settlement claims if they owned a iPhone 6, 6 Plus, 6S, 6S Plus, 7, 7S Plus or SE device bought before December 21, 2017.

What are your thoughts, Roomies? Do you think Apple suddenly slowed down one of your devices?  Let us know in the comments!