Did you own an old iPhone? Check if you are owed compensation
Nine years after the iPhone throttling scandal, Apple will pay 10 million shekels as part of a settlement agreement approved in Israel, with the maximum compensation per eligible device standing at 1,890 shekels. A website has been launched where users can check their eligibility and submit an online claim form.
After nine years of legal proceedings, the compensation website for the iPhone throttling scandal has gone live, and Israeli customers can now check if they are eligible to receive money as part of the settlement agreement with Apple. The Tel Aviv District Court approved the settlement in April, under which Apple will pay 10 million shekels to eligible customers. The maximum compensation for an eligible device stands at 1,890 shekels. The settlement was reached as part of five class-action lawsuits filed against Apple in Israel in 2017 and 2018. The company denied the allegations throughout the process, and the approved agreement does not include an admission of liability or wrongdoing.
Who is eligible for compensation? This refers to anyone who owned in Israel an iPhone 6, 6 Plus, 6s, 6s Plus, or SE (first generation) on which the iOS 10.2.1 operating system or a later version was installed and operated before December 21, 2017.
Anyone who owned an iPhone 7 or 7 Plus on which iOS 11.2 or a later version was installed and operated before that same date may also be eligible.
Not sure which model you had? You can check this via Settings > General > About, or on the back of the device itself.
An additional condition is that Israel was selected as the country when registering for Apple systems. According to the settlement agreement, the place of purchase of the device does not matter.
Those who believe they meet the conditions can visit the website established for the agreement and fill out an online claim form. After submitting the details, a message will be displayed stating whether the claim was found eligible, ineligible, or defined as conditional eligibility requiring further review.
The scandal began in 2017 after Apple was accused of software updates slowing down the performance of certain iPhone models. The claim was that the move was intended to prevent sudden shutdowns caused by aging batteries.
In Israel, the plaintiffs argued that Apple installed software on the devices that slowed down and disrupted their operation without the users' knowledge, and that the company concealed the fact that replacing the battery could improve the device's performance. It was further claimed that the move caused some customers to upgrade to newer models.
Apple denied the allegations. The company claimed that it never acted to intentionally shorten the life of its products or harm the user experience to encourage the purchase of new devices, and that its goal was to extend the life of iPhones as much as possible.
Judge Hadas Ovadia approved the settlement agreement and determined that it reflects a proper, fair, and balanced solution.
The total compensation of 10 million shekels will be paid by Apple. In addition, it was determined that the legal fees for all the lawyers who represented the plaintiffs will amount to approximately 2.4 million shekels, and the compensation for the plaintiffs will amount to 400,000 shekels.
