Group of Consumers Alleges iOS 11 Update Ruined iPhones

Apple Inc. is facing a class action lawsuit from a group of Ohio consumers, alleging the iOS 11 update caused their phones to drastically slow down and ultimately forced them to purchase new iPhones.

These claimants opted to file legal action together, and are also looking to represent an entire consumer Class who experienced similar problems after accepting the iOS 11 update.

Plaintiffs Lauri Sullivan-Stefanou, Jarrod Byer and Carly Byer each allege their former iPhones lost significant processing speed after downloading the iOS 11 update, and that Apple did this deliberately to force them to buy newer models.

Each of the plaintiffs downloaded the iOS 11 update through instructions provided by Apple, which reportedly gave them no instructions on how to dismiss the update notification prompt.

Overview of iPhone Class Action Lawsuit

This was especially the case for Sullivan-Stefanou, who says her iPhone 6s was affected by the iOS 11 update.

According to the class action lawsuit, Sullivan-Stefanou updated her iPhone 6s through Apple’s instructions and was forced to contend with slower processing speed. Her phone reportedly took longer to open and sort through her contact list. In addition, she says she was forced to follow a link prompted on her phone after the iOS 11 update was implemented.

The link was to Apple iPay that requested her credit card information, which Sullivan-Stefanou refused to provide. She says she had to learn how to dismiss the prompt through Google. Overall, since the iOS 11 update, Sullivan-Stefanou’s 6s was slower in all functionality and would rapidly lose battery life, which  inevitably got to the point where she was forced to purchase a new phone.

Jarrod Byer says he owned an iPhone 6 that allegedly lost almost all functionality after the update. During the fall of 2017, Jarrod claims, he followed Apple’s instructions to implement the iOS 11 update to his iPhone.

However, after this update was downloaded, Jarrod’s device reportedly lost the ability to connect to cell service and was unable to make calls, send texts, or connect to the internet unless he was in range of Wi-FI.

Jarrod had taken his phone to an Apple retail location near his home, where employees ran diagnostic tests on his phone. They could not find a solution, which ultimately forced Jarrod to purchase a replacement phone.

Carly Byer says she used to own an iPhone 7, but had experienced similar problems as the other claimants after implementing the iOS 11 update. According to the claim, Carly followed Apple’s instructions to download the iOS11 update onto her phone in December 2017.

Almost immediately after, Carly says her phone lost all functionality and shut down. She alleges her phone was made useless by Apple’s iOS 11 update and that she was not warned against this possibility.

Each of the claimants alleges the iOS 11 updates were specifically designed to interfere with each of their phones’ functionality, and ultimately force them to buy new iPhones. They note that Apple does not allow iPhone owners to revert to previous versions of iOS, nor does the company warn consumers that the update is permanent.

This iPhone iOS11 Slowdown Class Action Lawsuit is Sullivan-Stefanou, et al. v. Apple Inc., Case No. 1:18-cv-00007-MRB, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, Western Division.

Join a Free Apple iPhone Throttling Class Action Lawsuit Investigation

If you owned an iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone SE, iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus that performed slower after an iOS update or would unexpectedly shut down for seemingly no reason, you may qualify to file or join an iPhone class action lawsuit.

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