Apple Hit With Class Action Lawsuit for New Wi-Fi Assist Feature

[oldmacs]

Ok so 9.0.1, 9.0.2 and 9.1 should include all the changes from 9.0? I don't see extensibility listed as part of 9 as it was there in 8, we don't see copy and paste listed as a feature as it was in 3 or iMessage from 5, etc ... I also don't believe extensibility was listed in 8.0.1 and other point releases. How far do you go.

Simple users aside. When you install an update it has release information and terms and conditions/agreement. It is the culture to blame if you don't read them.

I used the feature through the beta release it worked however broke my data in the final release song have turned it off. The break is with my carrier update so waiting for them to fix it.

There should be some way of warning users who make the jump to iOS 9. Extensibility didn't exactly cause people go over data limits did it?

This would have all been a non issue had apple thought it through properly.

Plenty of users will have read wifi assist, but not realised the meaning. None of the 20 or so people I have told so far to turn wifi assist for realised what it properly meant.

Plus - the assumption could be easily made that its an opt in feature. Not all features in iOS releases are actually automatically on, they are options so its perfectly reasonable for people to assume it was an option as it doesn't say "Wifi assist automatically enabled".

 

[HEK]

There is no warning in the release notes, and there is no mention of it in the release notes of 9.0.1, 9.0.2 or 9.1, or anyone upgrading to a new iOS 9 device from an older one. So only the upgraders from 9.0 got it.

Not to mention the majority of iOS users are simple users - why should they be expected to fully understand what the consequences of Wifi assist are?

But no obviously poor little Apple needs to be defended for making irrational choices.

Apple introduces a new phone for simple users. Why should people know anything to use a phone, duh.
Yeah Apple no more "irrational choices". You crazy or something, trying to make user experience smoother.

Obviously this is polarizing down two two camps. Some feel Apple has to abrogate lazy, simple users and opertunistic cell provider. And others feel the user has some responsibility to monitor what they do and what is happening. So once again courts will decide. This forum certainly won't.

 

[oldmacs]

Please take a break, instead of digging yourself into a deeper hole.

"Screwing people over" is an intentional act, to treat someone unfairly or take unfair advantage of them.

You are entitled to complain about unintended consequences. But, please drop the indignant act: there's was no subterfuge.

Apple didn't do this to extract more money out of you. And I really hope you won't put on your tinfoil hat and claim it's was a conspiracy with AT&T and Verizon.

The only people attempting to "screw over" anyone is the lawyer behind this class-action lawsuit. He/She will be the only one to make any money off this -- you'll be lucky to get a buck or two.

If I've caused trouble for someone else through way of not thinking something through properly, then I've screwed them over. Apple didn't properly think the setting through which has caused issues for people. They've screwed those people over by neglecting to consider the consequences of this setting properly.

 

[dbrose]

There should be some way of warning users who make the jump to iOS 9. Extensibility didn't exactly cause people go over data limits did it?

This would have all been a non issue had apple thought it through properly.

Plenty of users will have read wifi assist, but not realised the meaning. None of the 20 or so people I have told so far to turn wifi assist for realised what it properly meant.

Plus - the assumption could be easily made that its an opt in feature. Not all features in iOS releases are actually automatically on, they are options so its perfectly reasonable for people to assume it was an option as it doesn't say "Wifi assist automatically enabled".

Ok what about release of LTE. I'm sure that isn't in the release notes. It is enabled by default.

I wonder if they should release an update with the minimum turned on and release a separate update that has features with sensible defaults. And then you get a choice.

 

[ptb42]

I dislike excess litigation as much as the next guy. But as you know, the way these class action things often go is that the parties agree on a settlement in which the defendant expressly doesn't admit fault but pays a settlement anyway. And then the issue in question tends to get fixed. So I see these things as a necessary evil.

The issue in question was easily fixable without lining the pockets of a lawyer. Apple has responded to similar problems without being threatened.

And who do you think will pay the settlement? In the long run, it's the customer. In this case, it's a small blip on Apple's radar (which is exactly the plan -- keep the amount small enough to make a defense pointless), but that's money that could have been spent on more productive things.

A class action lawsuit is for serious wrongdoing -- not a simple disagreement over whether a setting should be on or off by default.

 

[dbrose]

If I've caused trouble for someone else through way of not thinking something through properly, then I've screwed them over. Apple didn't properly think the setting through which has caused issues for people. They've screwed those people over by neglecting to consider the consequences of this setting properly.

Also remember there was a public beta where we could post feedback. Obviously wasn't an issue for users in the beta. Therefore Apple probably thought the setting was fine.

 

[HEK]

So Apple (and every other manufacturer) were "stupid" to enable LTE out of the box? Then we should have the devices on 2G speeds still. This is a slippery slope you people are playing. By that, everything should be at the minimum out of the box rather than fully featured. At some point, ignorance is no excuse.

For the ignorant it is.

Future Apple should not provide on/off toggles for features. Just turn stuff on and be done with it.

 

[oldmacs]

Apple introduces a new phone for simple users. Why should people know anything to use a phone, duh.
Yeah Apple no more "irrational choices". You crazy or something, trying to make user experience smoother.

Obviously this is polarizing down two two camps. Some feel Apple has to abrogate lazy, simple users and opertunistic cell provider. And others feel the user has some responsibility to monitor what they do and what is happening. So once again courts will decide. This forum certainly won't.

They neglected to consider the consequences of this setting and its as simple as that. User experience would have been just as smooth had it been an option with a warning when you set your phone up with iOS 9.

The only ones here who are lazy are Apple.

How is a user lazy for not realising that 'Wifi Assist' (which only people who updated to 9.0 which was only out a week or two) were even notified of at all would lead to excess chargers - Apple changed a learned habit (at home while connected to a wifi network, mobile dat will be used) and that has caused stiff for users.

But I've got to remember I'm on Macrumours, the home of people who celebrate and invite companies to be lazy and not consider the consequences of choices made.

 

[oldmacs]

Also remember there was a public beta where we could post feedback. Obviously wasn't an issue for users in the beta. Therefore Apple probably thought the setting was fine.

Because those who download a public beta are obviously representative of your average iOS user?

 

[ptb42]

If I've caused trouble for someone else through way of not thinking something through properly, then I've screwed them over. Apple didn't properly think the setting through which has caused issues for people. They've screwed those people over by neglecting to consider the consequences of this setting properly.

Again, "Screwing people over" is an intentional act.

But, I see you still can't think clearly, so I'll just let you stew in your own bile.

Have a nice day.

 

[HEK]

They neglected to consider the consequences of this setting and its as simple as that. User experience would have been just as smooth had it been an option with a warning when you set your phone up with iOS 9.

The only ones here who are lazy are Apple.

How is a user lazy for not realising that 'Wifi Assist' (which only people who updated to 9.0 which was only out a week or two) were even notified of at all would lead to excess chargers - Apple changed a learned habit (at home while connected to a wifi network, mobile dat will be used) and that has caused stiff for users.

But I've got to remember I'm on Macrumours, the home of people who celebrate and invite companies to be lazy and not consider the consequences of choices made.

Somehow I figured it out, and decided to turn it off in certain of my locations. For some reason I am able to check my cell provider and see where my family data level is at. And did so before the feature was added, as well as after. Because I know my cell provider will screw me with overcharges if given the chance.

Obviously this is polarizing down two two camps. Some feel Apple has to abrogate lazy, simple users and opertunistic cell provider. And others feel the user has some responsibility to monitor what they do and what is happening. So once again courts will decide. This forum certainly won't.

 

[oldmacs]

Again, "Screwing people over" is an intentional act.

But, I see you still can't think clearly, so I'll just let you stew in your own bile.

Have a nice day.

And I'll let you continue playing semantics in order to defend a company that at the end of the day (like pretty much any company) couldn't give mucho of a stuff about customers while it is making money.

 

[oldmacs]

Obviously this is polarizing down two two camps. Some feel Apple has to abrogate lazy, simple users and opertunistic cell provider. And others feel the user has some responsibility to monitor what they do and what is happening. So once again courts will decide. This forum certainly won't.

You already posted this...

No when you've got a forum full of people who will give their total support to Apple, no one really wants to admit Apple neglected to think things through.

 

[cfedu]

There is no warning in the release notes, and there is no mention of it in the release notes of 9.0.1, 9.0.2 or 9.1, or anyone upgrading to a new iOS 9 device from an older one. So only the upgraders from 9.0 got it.

Not to mention the majority of iOS users are simple users - why should they be expected to fully understand what the consequences of Wifi assist are?

But no obviously poor little Apple needs to be defended for making irrational choices.

If people can't read about or understand smartphones, they should not be using them. Between location services and the amount of data be transmitted. Smartphones can be dangerous. Apple has done evil things in the past like when imessage stole my phone number, but this is not one of those times.

 

[C DM]

Actually, you don't get cellular OS updates over the air anymore. Why? A class action lawsuit (and the associated media circus) from when it was possible. While these suits may seem frivolous to some, and the amount that goes into lawyers' coffers is unfortunate, they do serve a valuable policy purpose.

And then you get continued complaints from people with every update that Apple is bad for not allowing them to do it over the cellular connection.

 

[C DM]

They didn't drastically chance user habits towards conservation of mobile data allowances.

And they haven't done that now either.

There is common sense, and then there is Apple completely changing learnt behaviours without properly informing users.

What learned behaviors are completely changed?

 

[ptb42]

Actually, you don't get cellular OS updates over the air anymore. Why? A class action lawsuit (and the associated media circus) from when it was possible. While these suits may seem frivolous to some, and the amount that goes into lawyers' coffers is unfortunate, they do serve a valuable policy purpose.

No, Apple has never sent OS updates over the cellular connection. It's only been WiFi.

The case you are thinking about is someone who had an update downloaded over a separate WiFi hotspot, and had a large bill from THAT provider. As far as I've been able to find, the case is still pending.

There's still no way to disable update downloads over WiFi. It would be a easy thing to do, but Apple hasn't implemented it -- probably because it would be admitting fault.

So much for your vaunted solution.

 

[pat500000]

Solution: turn feature off, problem solved!

Some people like parents or older folks wouldn't know that.

 

[HEK]

You already posted this...

No when you've got a forum full of people who will give their total support to Apple, no one really wants to admit Apple neglected to think things through.

And a forum full of people that want to blame Apple for everything, because they don't bare the slightest responsibility for anything to do with their use of the device.

And yes, I posted that before, will again as it's my last word on subject.

 

[ptb42]

And I'll let you continue playing semantics in order to defend a company that at the end of the day (like pretty much any company) couldn't give mucho of a stuff about customers while it is making money.

I'm not defending Apple. I'm simply pointing out they didn't "screw you over". You did it to yourself, by not paying attention.

If you don't like what Apple does, then toss your iPhone/MacBook in the trash or sell it on eBay, and ask the MacRumors admins to delete your account.

But, please stop acting like such a fool in public. You won't change anyone's behavior with your fake outrage.

 

[C DM]

Oh yes defend defend defend defend.

Apple has screwed people over by automatically enabling a new feature in iOS that changes a basic learned behaviour in iOS causing people to be charged high sums of money by going over data limits, due to using their device the same way they used to be - without giving proper explanation of the risks of this setting anywhere, and having no mention of it past iOS 9.0.

Thats screwing people over right there.

Has it been shown that this has been responsible for all these overages? There are articles pretty much every year after new iOS releases and new phone releases with people using more data, yet this feature wasn't available before. So is it known that this feature is behind the overage and not something else like in previous years?

 

[C DM]

Some people like parents or older folks wouldn't know that.

How did those people deal with dropped WiFi connections when connectivity would get bad somewhere prior to iOS 9? The functionality was there for many iOS versions, and has been getting fine tuned in each one basically, this is just another fine tuning (to provide a better experince--to avoid people sitting with a phone that isn't getting any data and wondering why things aren't working for them) that works the same way it all worked before with the only real difffence being that a user facing option is now provided vs one not being there before when they have made improvements to their WiFi detection in the past.

 

[H2SO4]

So Apple (and every other manufacturer) were "stupid" to enable LTE out of the box? Then we should have the devices on 2G speeds still. This is a slippery slope you people are playing. By that, everything should be at the minimum out of the box rather than fully featured. At some point, ignorance is no excuse.

Yes, pretty much everything shouls be off on a new phone. Also When I got my new phone I had to toggle on 4G manually, thankyou very much.
If the other OEMs did it too they were also wrong. Having lots of friends acting badly doesn’t excuse your behaviour, you know that right?

 

[C DM]

Yes, pretty much everything shouls be off on a new phone. Also When I got my new phone I had to toggle on 4G manually, thankyou very much.
If the other OEMs did it too they were also wrong. Having lots of friends acting badly doesn’t excuse your behaviour, you know that right?

So then we'd have a bunch of people complaining that things don't just "work" when they have to go and enable it all to get it working.

 

[john123]

No, Apple has never sent OS updates over the cellular connection. It's only been WiFi.

The case you are thinking about is someone who had an update downloaded over a separate WiFi hotspot, and had a large bill from THAT provider. As far as I've been able to find, the case is still pending.

There's still no way to disable update downloads over WiFi. It would be a easy thing to do, but Apple hasn't implemented it -- probably because it would be admitting fault.

So much for your vaunted solution.

You're right. My mistake. No need for the snark, though. Regardless, the very existence of class action lawsuits is a deterrent mechanism. We could debate about the potential efficacy of them without much evidence to support either view, and I suspect we'd come to the same place we were before—you abhor it, and I accept it as "the way things work" (TM) and that there's some value in it.