Apple Starts Sending 'Batterygate' Settlement Payments to iPhone Users

[supergt]

I went back and looked at the original e-mail I got about this settlement. It read, in part,

I figured it would probably be even less than that, so I ignored it and never filed a claim.

So, all you $92.17 winners, you're welcome 😉

I think it was the equifax classaction where so many people filed that the end of day payout was like under $5.

The lesson is to file regardless of the potential payout.

 

[Rafterman]

I went back and looked at the original e-mail I got about this settlement. It read, in part,

I figured it would probably be even less than that, so I ignored it and never filed a claim.

So, all you $92.17 winners, you're welcome 😉

Probably how I saw it too.

 

[j_in_tx]

thanks Apple! got 4. it goes straight to my 12 mo payment plan for my M3 Max that started last month.

 

[jefnot]

The tech media STILL can't report on this issue correctly.

Throttling was not just for end-of-life batteries. It was also for new batteries that were operating below 20% charge or were operating in cold temperatures. All three of those scenarios could result in voltage demands that the battery couldn't supply which could potentially do permanent damage to the phone hardware.

This was always one of the stupidest lawsuits from a consumer perspective. Without throttling, the phone would simply shut off in either of those three scenarios. All the throttling did was allow the user to continue what they were doing albeit in a slower speed.

posterchild for opportunistic class action suit. the lawyers make millions, people who weren't truly impacted greedily sign on.

 

[Kevin2055]

The tech media STILL can't report on this issue correctly.

Throttling was not just for end-of-life batteries. It was also for new batteries that were operating below 20% charge or were operating in cold temperatures. All three of those scenarios could result in voltage demands that the battery couldn't supply which could potentially do permanent damage to the phone hardware.

This was always one of the stupidest lawsuits from a consumer perspective. Without throttling, the phone would simply shut off in either of those three scenarios. All the throttling did was allow the user to continue what they were doing albeit in a slower speed.

Apple needed to make it transparent. In whatever scenarios silently slowing down user’s devices are negligence at best, and I don’t think Apple forgot it.

 

[dannyyankou]

The argument, at the time, and probably in the minds of many still...was that Apple was doing this as a means of making those affected iPhones feel slow so that people would be more likely to buy new phones.

Let's imagine that Apple had done NOTHING, instead. By doing nothing, the affected models would shut down unexpectedly once the battery had significantly degraded. Or the weather was too cold, etc. THAT would have made those phones more likely to be thrown away, less likely to be used long term, and more likely to cause the owner to buy a new phone.

Had Apple done nothing, the lawsuit wouldn't have existed, and those phone owners would have had a worse experience.

This is the definition of frivolous lawsuits and simply an example of how the media can whip up people to believe the exact opposite of what is happening.

Enjoy your $92.17.

Or instead of throwing them away, someone would bring their phone to the Apple Store and they could get the battery replaced for a non-outrageous price.

 

[segfaultdotorg]

I had a 6S and I can't find in my email any notification of the settlement. Did Google (gmail) put it in spam to punish me for being an Android traitor?

 

[Kevin2055]

Users had no idea it’s the battery causing it slow

 

[Kevin2055]

Or instead of throwing them away, someone would bring their phone to the Apple Store and they could get the battery replaced for a non-outrageous price.

Users had no idea it’s the battery causing it slow.

 

[Rafterman]

So...$500 million settlement, but only $300 million to the plaintiffs? $200 million for the lawyers?

 

[Playfoot]

If indeed it was either a problem or Apple failed to disclose a material decision that could have a negative impact on the users, I am saddened that Apple seemingly case little about ALL the users of the phones. What about Europe, Japan, Canada, etc.?

Yes, I know litigation was in the US. However, these types of settlements, similar to not admitting any wrongdoing, is just wrong.

 

[upandown]

I went back and looked at the original e-mail I got about this settlement. It read, in part,

I figured it would probably be even less than that, so I ignored it and never filed a claim.

So, all you $92.17 winners, you're welcome 😉

I believe I had the same rational for not filling 😂

 

[Westside guy]

The original notification email read, in part:

Amount of Cash Payment: Under the proposed settlement, Apple will provide a cash payment of approximately $25 per eligible device. Please note that the actual cash payment per eligible device may be greater than or less than $25, depending on the total number of approved claims and other factors. The total payments to be made by Apple under the proposed settlement are subject to a minimum and maximum as set forth above and in more detail in the Class Notice available at www.SmartphonePerformanceSettlement.com.

$92.17 is quite a bit more than they stated...

 

[Westside guy]

Or instead of throwing them away, someone would bring their phone to the Apple Store and they could get the battery replaced for a non-outrageous price.

People are apparently forgetting that the "non-outrageous price" Apple charges for battery replacement came right after the throttling controversy.
https://mashable.com/article/apple-iphone-battery-replacement-deal-available-today
https://mashable.com/article/apple-iphone-battery-replacement-deal-available-today

 

[toke lahti]

Didn’t Apple do the very same thing with iPads?

 

[Aves]

I can’t remember if I filed a claim. Does anyone know if there was a confirmation email? What the approximate title was? Thanks

"Claim Confirmation Email" from confirmation@smartphone... etc...

 

[AndrewR23]

Well I submitted my claim along with my sister in September 2020. We provided the serial numbers and she got paid today but nothing for me. Both direct deposit. Meh.

 

[Aves]

Well I submitted my claim along with my sister in September 2020. We provided the serial numbers and she got paid today but nothing for me. Both direct deposit. Meh.

it's Saturday, maybe your bank process it on Monday?

 

[AndrewR23]

it's Saturday, maybe your bank process it on Monday?

Same bank. She was paid yesterday, so far nothing for me. Hoping next week. I had 5 phones affected and provided all 5 serial numbers. Hoping to see a nice 400 ish soon

 

[svish]

Was expecting the payout to be much lower. Anyway glad to hear that the whole issue can now be closed.

 

[dannyyankou]

Users had no idea it’s the battery causing it slow.

And you know what would've been an easy solution to that? If they did what they were forced to eventually do. Have battery stats in settings and send a notification when battery health goes below 80%, with a recommendation to bring the phone in for service.

People are apparently forgetting that the "non-outrageous price" Apple charges for battery replacement came right after the throttling controversy.
https://mashable.com/article/apple-iphone-battery-replacement-deal-available-today
https://mashable.com/article/apple-iphone-battery-replacement-deal-available-today

I'm not forgetting, I'm referencing what it was before they were under fire. They only lowered it because they were publicly shamed.

 

[Shirasaki]

Several years after the incident, some people STILL defend Apple’s decision back then. Remarkable.
Apple’s fanatic chase after absolute secrecy is very well known, and this incident proves that.

I don’t know what in those people’s mind or they have some sort of mutual benefit from Apple prompting them to defend. However, Apple crossed the line, and thus got humiliated a bit, publicly, back then.

Even if the fault is caused by lithium battery itself, Apple has the responsibility to make sure their devices are functional and useable, instead of randomly shutting down, or in this case, run so slowly that the phone may not function as expected anyway. What’s the difference between a sudden shutdown when an important phone call came in and the phone runs so slowly you cannot answer that same important phone call anyway, even if it is on?

This payout sends a message to Apple: either be transparent on critical matters, or try to hide even harder. I would prefer the former but I would not be able to do anything if latter happens anyways.

 

[truthsteve]

throttling is not the issue and is literally doing more than what other phone manufacturers are doing.

 

[kltmom]

Oh no, I selected the mailed check option and have since moved.

Emailed questions@smartphoneperformancesettlement.com to see if they can update the mailing address on my spouse's and I's claims.

Me, too. Just emailed them as well. I saved the emails of the confirmation letters I received when submitting 4 claims back in July 2020. I remember I didn't want to give them my personal banking information, so I opted for physical checks. But I haven't lived at the address I gave them for almost 3 years.

 

[Altis]

Exactly. Apple hadn't done anything. And the problem was attributed to lithium batteries in general. Then, Apple TRIED to make it a better experience for older phones, and got sued. As I keep saying, you and others are saying it would have been better had Apple not tried to make the experience better on older phones.

This had absolutely nothing to do with old phones -- I have no idea why the revisionist history on the issue.

This had to do with new phones that were under a year old, still under warranty, and showing 80-90% battery health.

Apple throttled them down as far as to 40% speed without telling even their own "genius" techs, apparently. So anyone experiencing slowdowns had no idea to suspect it was the battery, and if they just happened to, they were told the battery had nothing to do with it and it was software.

And yet if they had the battery checked, it would have shown as "Healthy" with no cause for concern whatsoever -- worse yet, Apple would not have replaced the battery even if the customer was willing to pay out of pocket, because the battery showed as "Healthy".

So users were left with devices that were slow with zero indication as to why or solution available. Unbelievable the people defending what Apple did here so they could avoid having to replace batteries and fix their problem.