Class action alleges Apple misled consumers about Beats headphones’ voice quality

Apple Beats class action lawsuit overview:

• Who: A consumer filed a class action lawsuit against Apple Inc.
• Why: The plaintiff claims Apple’s Beats Studio Pro headphones are defective.
• Where: The Apple Beats class action was filed in California federal court.

A new class action lawsuit alleges Apple’s Beats Studio Pro headphones are defective and fail to work as advertised.

Plaintiff Kimberly Feeney filed the class action complaint against Apple on Aug. 20 in California superior court, alleging violations of state and federal consumer laws. Apple removed the lawsuit to California federal court on Oct. 10.

According to the Apple class action lawsuit, the company advertises its Beats headphones as offering “optimized voice performance,” “loud, crisp, crystal-clear call performance” and professional-grade call clarity.

Apple promoted these headphones for seamless voice communication on platforms like Zoom and Microsoft Teams, delivering “rich, immersive sound whether you’re listening to music or taking [calls],” the lawsuit says.

Apple further claims Beats have “enhanced compatibility with one-touch pairing” and “wirelessly connect to more devices via Bluetooth for extended range and fewer dropouts,” the class action claims.

However, while Apple charges a premium price for the Beats line, consumers get a subpar experience and cannot use them reliably for their basic advertised purposes, Feeney says.

“The Beats headphones contain a pervasive and material defect that causes the built-in microphone to malfunction during routine use, especially during phone and video calls,” she alleges.

Apple Beats headphones don’t work as advertised, lawsuit alleges

As a result of the alleged defect, Feeney and similarly situated consumers have suffered financial harm, the lawsuit says.

They purchased headphones based on Apple’s false promises and paid a price that does not reflect the defective product’s actual value, Feeney argues. Consumers were deprived of the benefit of their bargain and are entitled to restitution and damages, she added.

Feeney and the proposed class members suffered economic injury as a result of purchasing defective Beats headphones, the lawsuit states.

Feeney is looking to represent anyone who purchased Apple Beats Studio Pro series, including the Beats Fit Pro, Beats Solo Pro and Beats Studio 3, from July 9, 2021, to the present.

She is suing for breach of warranty and violations of California consumer laws and is seeking certification of the class action, damages, fees, costs and a jury trial.

Last month, Apple faced a class action lawsuit accusing the company of selling gift cards that were not secure and were easily exploited for fraud, causing consumers to lose money.

What do you think of the allegations made in this Apple class action lawsuit? Let us know in the comments.

Feeney is represented by Helen I. Zeldes, Amy C. Johnsgard, Summer Wright and Joshua A. Fields of Schonbrun Seplow Harris Hoffman & Zeldes LLP.

The Apple Beats class action lawsuit is Feeney v. Apple Inc., Case No. 2:25-cv-09716, in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, Western Division.

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