(NEXSTAR) – Apple has begun payouts to iPhone users who joined a class-action lawsuit that accused the company of intentionally slowing down the devices.
Apple agreed in 2020 to pay between $310 and $500 million as part of a settlement in response to the class-action lawsuit, which stemmed from earlier legal complaints that the company’s software updates were deliberately throttling the performance of specific older iPhone models.
Apple did not deny that certain iPhones were slower after the updates, saying the move was necessary to keep the older phones’ batteries from prompting unexpected shutdowns, the Associated Press reported. But critics suspected more nefarious motivations — specifically, that Apple was hoping users might just buy new phones.
Apple did not admit to any wrongdoing when agreeing to settle.
Even though the settlement was reached years ago, claimants had long awaited payment because of drawn out court procedures and appeals. But in August 2023, the law firm representing Apple customers announced an appeal challenging the lawsuit was dismissed, “allowing [the] historic settlement to be distributed to Apple iPhone consumers impacted by software throttling.”
MacRumors, an unofficial website covering Apple-related news, reported that some claimants finally began receiving their payments, at $92.17 each, over the weekend.
“Nice thing to wake up to on a Saturday morning — especially after 3.5 years of waiting!” wrote one user on Twitter, along with an image showing an alleged electronic transaction to his bank account.
Many other Twitter users reported receiving the same payments.
The official settlement website, in an update this week, confirmed that payments had started Jan. 5, and will be disbursed on a “rolling basis.” All qualifying claimants are expected to be paid by the end of the month, according to the site.
A representative for the claims administrator was not available for additional information.
To be eligible for a payout, users must have filed a complaint before October 2020. They must also have owned an iPhone 6, 6 Plus, 6s, 6s Plus, or SE device that ran iOS 10.2.1 software (or a later version) before Dec. 21, 2017. The same goes for people who had an iPhone 7 or 7 Plus and downloaded iOS 11.2 or later before Dec. 21, 2017.
More information is available at the settlement website. iPhone users can also call 1-833-649-0927 to find out if they had previously qualified for a payout.