BRITS are hoping they are next in line for a mass payout over claims Apple deliberately slowed down iPhones.
Users in the US have started receiving a share of a £394million ($500million) settlement this week.
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It works out to about £72 ($92) per claim.
In 2017, it was revealed that Apple slows down iPhones using a process known as “throttling” to prevent older handsets from unexpectedly shutting down.
The tech giant did not disclose this to customers beforehand and has faced numerous lawsuits as a result.
Apple agreed to settle the US lawsuit in 2020 but payouts are only for residents of the country.
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However, a similar case in the UK is still underway which is seeking up to £1.6billion in compensation for Brits.
The lawsuit was brought by British consumer champion Justin Gutmann on behalf of around 24million iPhone users in the UK.
In November, Apple lost a bid to block the case proceeding.
The world’s richest company has previously argued that it has “never – and would never – do anything to intentionally shorten the life of any Apple product, or degrade the user experience to drive customer upgrades”.
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Speaking to the BBC, Mr Gutmann warned Brits that the US case has no bearing on the UK one.
“It doesn’t advance our position here, they haven’t admitted anything – they’ve settled,” he said.
“It’s a moral victory but not much use to me.
“I’ve got to plough on and pursue the case in the UK jurisdiction.”
The models involved in the case are:
- iPhone 6
- iPhone 6 Plus
- iPhone 6S
- iPhone 6S Plus
- iPhone 7
- iPhone 7 Plus
- iPhone SE (first generation)
iPhone tricks to try today
Here are some of the best…
- Typing cursor – When typing, hold down the space bar to turn your keyboard into a trackpad, letting you move around words and sentences more easily
- Close all Safari tabs – To do this in one go, simply hold the overlapped squares in the bottom right-hand corner, and press close all tabs
- Delete lots of photos quickly – Hold down on a photo and then drag your finger diagonally in Photos to select lots of images at once, then hit delete
- Convert currency quickly – Swipe down from the top of your Home screen (or swipe left to right on an iPhone X or later model), then tap in the bar and type a currency (like $200) and it will automatically covert to your local currency
- Check if you’re due a battery upgrade – Batteries inside smartphones degrade over time. Just go to Settings > Battery > Battery Health, and check out the Maximum Capacity reading. Generally a battery is considered worn when you’re down to 80% capacity. If you’re below, you can buy a battery swap from Apple
- Move apps around faster – Hold an app until it starts wiggling, then (while still holding) tap other apps, causing them to stack so you can move them around easier
