Apple class action lawsuit overview:
- Who: Plaintiff Richard Goetz is suing Apple Inc.
- Why: Goetz claims Apple prematurely ended software support for multiple generations of its smartwatches, forcing consumers to purchase new ones.
- Where: The Apple class action lawsuit was filed in California federal court.
A new class action lawsuit claims Apple unfairly forced consumers to buy new Apple Watch devices by ceasing software support for older models before the end of their useful life.
Plaintiff Richard Goetz filed the class action lawsuit against Apple on Aug. 12 in California federal court, alleging violations of state consumer protection laws.
According to the lawsuit, Apple recently introduced a new version of its watch software, watchOS 27, which is incompatible with several versions of Apple’s watches, including the SE 2, Series 6, Series 7, Series 8 and Ultra 1 models.
Goetz claims these watches were all sold in the last few years and had not yet reached their useful lives as computer devices.
Goetz alleges Apple’s decision to discontinue software support for these watches has rendered them obsolete, essentially bricking the devices and forcing consumers to replace them with new ones.
Apple’s decision to end software support for these watches means they will no longer receive necessary updates, Goetz claims. As a result, the watches will become increasingly ridden with software bugs, causing them to slow down or stop working entirely, the lawsuit claims.
Class action accuses Apple of unfair business practices
Goetz claims Apple’s actions constitute unfair business practices, as the company never disclosed to consumers how long their watches would remain eligible to receive future software updates.
“Plaintiff and members of the proposed class would not have purchased their Apple Watch devices, or would have paid substantially less for them, had Apple disclosed that the devices would lose eligibility for future major versions of watchOS years before consumers reasonably expected,” the Apple class action lawsuit alleges.
Goetz is looking to represent anyone in California who purchased an Apple Watch Series 6, Apple Watch Series 7, Apple Watch Series 8, Apple Watch SE (2nd generation) or the original Apple Watch Ultra.
He is suing for breach of contract and violation of California’s Unfair Competition Law and is seeking certification of the class action, damages, fees, costs and a jury trial.
In another recent class action lawsuit, customers accuse Apple of failing to protect App Store users from a fraudulent cryptocurrency wallet app that allegedly stole more than $1.8 million in digital assets.
What do you think of the allegations made in this Apple class action lawsuit? Let us know in the comments.
The plaintiff is represented by Annick M. Persinger of Tycko & Zavareei LLP.
The Apple class action lawsuit is Goetz v. Apple Inc., Case No. 3:26-cv-08384, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.
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