Apple starts paying out $500million to iPhone customers over claims it purposefully slowed down devices during ‘batterygate’ scandal

Apple has begun paying the $500 million settlement to iPhone users in the US who accused the tech giant of purposely slowing down devices.

The so-called ‘batterygate’ scandal in 2017 was labeled ‘one of the largest consumer frauds in history,’ forcing users to invest in new iPhone models. 

Now, three million owners of certain iPhone models who filed the complaint are set to receive around $92 for each affected model.

Apple agreed in 2020 to settle a class action lawsuit filed in 2017 that accused the company of purposely slowing phones over time – but Apple has not admitted wrongdoing. 

The payouts apply to owners of the iPhone 6, 6 Plus, 6s, 6s Plus and SE if they ran iOS 10.2.1 or later before December 21, 2017, along with iPhone 7 or 7 Plus on iOS 11.2.

Those eligible are set to receive their payout this month, with some already reporting they have received payback. 

People hoping to get the payout would have had to file a complaint by October 6, 2020. 

The class-action lawsuit in 2018 in California said that reports of unexplained iPhone shutdowns first surfaced in 2015 before spiking in the following year’s fall.

Users’ concerns centered around the fact their phones shut off even though their batteries had a charge of more than 30 percent.

At the time, Apple said in a statement: ‘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.’

Apple blamed the issue on the batteries, claiming the units’ performance decreases as they age. 

While Apple’s statements may be factual, the company failed to declare the remarks before users experienced slower performance.

Many iPhone users are seeing the funds flow into their bank accounts. Michael Burkhardt shared an image on X showing he received six payments of $92.17

Many iPhone users are seeing the funds flow into their bank accounts.

Michael Burkhardt shared an image on X showing he received six payments of $92.17.

Apple admitted in 2017 that it intentionally ‘smooths out’ the performance of its smartphones when a battery gets too old.

A consumer watchdog that evaluates electronic gadgets’ performance sparked an outcry after it found that the processing power of older models is limited once battery life begins to suffer.

Many claimed it was an attempt to force users to upgrade to the latest model.

Apple’s ‘batterygate’ was not just in the US – the company has agreed to pay settlements in Canada and the UK for the same claims.