Apple "Batterygate" Payouts Begin!

After years of legal fights, Apple has finally started sending out compensation payments to eligible iPhone users affected by the "Batterygate" scandal.

Photo by Fabian Albert 

Key Points:

• Apple started sending out "Batterygate" compensation payments to eligible iPhone users.
• The scandal involved Apple throttling the performance of older iPhones with degrading batteries.
• A $500 million settlement was reached in 2020, with eligible users receiving around $65 each.
• Payments mark the culmination of years of legal action and controversy surrounding the issue.

This controversy, which erupted in 2017, involved Apple secretly throttling the performance of older iPhone models with degrading batteries to prevent unexpected shutdowns. This practice, while aimed at protecting device functionality, sparked outrage amongst users who felt misled and unfairly pressured to upgrade their phones by buying new iPhone models which were more costly than the previous iPhones.

The Settlement & Eligibility:

Will you receive the Batterygate payment from Apple or not?

Following two class-action lawsuits, Apple agreed to a $500 million settlement in 2020.

Eligible recipients include US owners of various iPhone models, including the iPhone 6, 6 Plus, 6s, 6s Plus, SE, 7, and 7 Plus, running specific iOS versions during the relevant timeframe.

Each eligible user can expect to receive an average payout of approximately $65 (you may receive $5 to $100 depending on your device), a figure exceeding initial estimates due to a lower participation rate than anticipated.

Many Reddit users have reported that they are receiving the payments and one user reported he received $6 while another reported he received $92 in Apple's batterygate case.

Reactions & Implications:

While some users welcome the payout for batterygate issue, others remain critical of Apple's transparency and the relatively low individual compensation as it means nothing to them in return for a bad user experience they had.

The incident undoubtedly tarnished Apple's reputation for user trust and sparked increased scrutiny of its software updates and device performance management practices.

Whether this episode translates into lasting policy changes within Apple remains to be seen.

Will you be updating your iOS device this time or not?