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Apple Throws $3.4 Million to Chilean iPhone Users Over Performance Throttling (Remember 2017?)

posted by martyb on Friday April 09 2021, @04:33PM   Printer-friendly
from the hello-darkness-my-old-friend dept.

takyon writes:

Apple to Pay $3.4 Million USD to Settle Planned Obsolescence Lawsuit

Apple has agreed to settle and pay $3.4 million to Chilean users due to a class-action lawsuit filed by iPhone users who noticed that their older devices, which include the iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, and iPhone SE were performing significantly worse after an iOS update in 2017. Every registered Chilean user stands to gain $50, which has to be shared if there is more than one claim per device serial number. For instance, a second-hand phone may have two people filing a lawsuit for the same phone.

Around 150,000 Chilean iPhone users sued Apple for implementing a performance throttling feature in their 2017 iOS update. In the same year, Apple released the iOS 10.2.1 update and programmed in a feature that would forcefully slow down system performance in old iPhones by reducing the CPU's clock speed. This was done to prevent the phone from spontaneously shutting off due to poor battery health in degrading iPhones, but they failed to inform the user that this change would have a detrimental effect on their iPhone's performance.

Previously: Apple iPhones Appear to Slow Down as Battery Condition Degrades: Planned Obsolescence?
Two Class Action Lawsuits Filed After Apple Admits Slowing Down iPhones
Eight Lawsuits Filed Against Apple Over iPhone Slowdowns
Apple Offers $29 Battery Replacements in Response to iPhone Slowdown Scandal

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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 10 2021, @11:03PM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 10 2021, @11:03PM (#1135838)

    I can't believe I'm the only one who's seen this happen multiple times out while at places like malls, theme parks, theaters etc. Places even sell replacement battery doors. I had two different phones, both major brands mind you, get loosened up enough that the battery would sometimes lose contact with the phone just traveling in my pocket.. I've missed calls that way and talked to others in a similar boat. Not fatal or anything close to it, but I do wish those phones had an auto-restart feature instead of leaving me with an intermittent device.

    Phones were little pieces of shit back then, no rose-colored glasses for me.

  • (Score: 2) by sjames on Sunday April 11 2021, @12:26AM

    by sjames (2882) on Sunday April 11 2021, @12:26AM (#1135854) Journal

    The last time I had a phone with an easily replaced battery, after taking the door off you had to smack it firmly against the palm of your hand to get the battery out far enough to pull it the rest of the way out.

    Other solutions include a screw to hold the battery compartment shut. It's a long-solved problem, it's just that some companies care little enough or are extremely chintzy enough to not bother.