Apple to pay $113 million in latest iPhone ‘Batterygate’ settlement
- Apple will settle another lawsuit over “Batterygate” and this time pay $ 113 million.
- The agreement with 34 states follows an agreement for US $ 500 million in early 2020.
- Whether you get money or not is a different matter.
Apple will soon be making another payout over the iPhone “Batterygate” riot. As the Washington Post (above The edge) reports that Apple has agreed to an agreement that will see 34 states pay a total of $ 113 million for their decision to quietly throttle the processor in the iPhone 6S and other models to prevent unexpected battery shutdowns.
The Batterygate deal follows an Apple deal worth up to $ 500 million in 2020. The deal does not provide for Apple to admit wrongdoing, but the Arizona Attorney General said the company needed “truthful” health and iPhone battery performance and provide power management information.
Continue reading: Thanks to the iPhone 11 for improving the battery life on small flagships
In many ways this does not change the status quo. Apple confirmed that devices like the iPhone 6S were throttled in December 2017 and temporarily reduced battery changes to $ 29 to help those affected. An update was released in early 2018 that not only illustrates the health of the battery, but also gives users the ability to disable throttling when they are ready to risk shutdowns.
As before, the outrage in Batterygate was not so much about the throttling itself, but about Apple’s lack of disclosure. While Apple said that models like the iPhone 6S had their battery throttled to extend the life of the hardware, customers were not properly notified. People feared Apple might have slowed down iPhones to prompt early upgrades. Regardless of their real motivations, some customers seem to have bought new cell phones when one battery purchase was enough.
Do not expect to receive money anytime soon. Apple only opened claims for the first settlement with iPhone Batterygate in July, and a December 4 hearing could overturn that settlement if the court deems it unfair. States are more likely to receive payouts first, and users should be compensated later. However, this could be another lesson for Apple and other phone manufacturers looking to throttle devices – they want to be as transparent as possible.
