Apple confirmed in 2017 that certain iPhones were being downgraded to protect lithium-ion batteries. A faulty battery can cause the phone to turn off suddenly. Apple has not communicated the solution to customers. In addition, users cannot enable or disable the performance-degrading option itself.
If the judge decides in favor of activist Justin Gutmann, it is possible that Apple will have to pay 750 million pounds (about 878 million euros) in damages. The money will then be distributed among the roughly 25 million Britons who have purchased the affected phones.
The claim applies to iPhone 6, 6 Plus, SE, 7, 7 Plus, 8, 8 Plus, and iPhone X. A software update that slowed down the phone by about half,” said Gutmann.
Activists want to send a signal to big tech companies
Activists hope the lawsuit will send a signal to other big tech companies. “For them to review their practice and refrain from this kind of behavior.”
Apple states for Security that the company will never intentionally shorten the life of an Apple product or degrade the user experience. “Our goal has always been to make iPhones last as long as possible.”
Apple now indicates in iPhone settings whether performance reduction is active. People can search for it on the ‘Battery condition’ page.
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