It has nothing to do with defending Apple. But more likely than not, there are facts missing. This was OP's first ever post. People are more vocal when they are upset. Something does not add up. I'm a plaintiff's attorney. I deal with this type of stuff on a daily basis. If I thought Apple was in the wrong, I would say so. But based on the facts as presented, something doesn't add up.
As for your question about what has Apple done for me for free without paying, quite a lot actually.
In 2014, I had my 2011 iMac replaced, free of charge. In 2017, I had my 2014 iMac replaced, free of charge. In 2020 I had my 2017 iMac replaced free of charge. Apple is very good to their customers, and especially so when you buy AppleCare. My AppleCare had expired on all three of these replacements, however, because I had made the effort to purchase AppleCare, Apple authorized the replacements free of charge. My most recent one was even a huge upgrade. I went from a 21.5" iMac to a 27" 5k, free of charge.
And before you say I'm an attorney and probably used that to get replacements. This was all transpired before I became a lawyer. I was barred in Jan 2021.
The point being, there are missing facts here. If OP could prove at all that iOS caused the issue, Apple would more likely than not fix the issue for free. The fact that I have not seen a single other post about it shows its more likely coincidence. If I'm wrong and it turns out to be an issue, you can be certain there will be a class action and OP will get his money back. But again, it does not appear to be so.