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Apple is reportedly facing a €60 million (roughly $73 million) class action lawsuit over its iPhones’ battery life, this one lodged in Italy.
The class action lawsuit accuses Apple of the “planned obsolescence” of several models of the iPhone 6 that were sold in Italy between 2014 and 2020. This legal action, filed by a European consumer advocacy group, comes after a number of other legal actions over the issue, known as throttling, including several multimillion-dollar settlements.
“When consumers buy Apple iPhones, they expect sustainable quality products. Unfortunately, that is not what happened with the iPhone 6 series,” said Els Bruggeman, head of policy and enforcement at the advocacy group that filed the class action lawsuit, in a statement. “Not only were consumers defrauded, and did they have to face frustration and financial harm, from an environmental point of view it is also utterly irresponsible.”
System Upgrade Results in Slower iPhones
Consumers reportedly complained of problems after downloading “upgrades” to their older iPhones, specifically the iOS 10.2.1 upgrade, in 2016. A number of consumers said iPhones 6 Plus, 6s, 6s Plus, 7, and 7 plus slowed considerably after this update. Several bloggers reportedly began proposing that the manufacturer was motivating owners of older phones to go out and buy the latest and greatest version of the iPhone.
In a December 2017 press release, Apple responded to these rumors and claimed that they had and would never ‘’intentionally shorten the life of any Apple product or degrade the user experience to drive customer upgrades.” However, the company was hit with several class action lawsuits in the United States, as well as others globally.
iPhones’ Battery Life Harmed in Update
These and other class action lawsuits claimed that the iOS updates harmed older iPhones’ battery life, forcing consumers to purchase newer models. According to these Apple iPhone class action lawsuits, the devices’ operating system limited processor speeds as iPhones aged; however, consumers were not informed of the problem. Instead Apple tried to cover up the problem with an iOS upgrade, consumers alleged.
In 2020, Apple agreed to pay $500 million to settle one U.S. class action lawsuit over its iPhones’ battery life, with a significant payout of $500 to each Class Member. In addition, the company agreed to pay an additional $113 million to 33 states and the District of Columbia over similar claims.
Apple Faces Continued Litigation Over iPhones
The European consumer advocacy group says that it will pursue class action lawsuits over the iPhone battery life issue, including one soon to be filed in Portugal.
“This new lawsuit is the latest front in our fight against planned obsolescence in Europe. Our ask is simple: American consumers received compensation, European consumers want to be treated with the same fairness and respect,” said a spokesperson for the group.
“We have never — and would never — do anything to intentionally shorten the life of any Apple product, or degrade the user experience to drive customer upgrades,” an Apple spokesperson reportedly emailed to The Verge. “Our goal has always been to create products that our customers love, and making iPhones last as long as possible is an important part of that.”
Do you have an iPhone? Have you had any concerns about the iPhone’s battery life? Tell us your thoughts in the comment section below!
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21 thoughts onApple Faces Another iPhone Battery Life Class Action Lawsuit, This Time in Italy
Add me please. My daughter’s phone blew up in her hand and well