Mass claim case launched against Apple for deliberately slowing its iPhones

Two Dutch organizations pursuing damage claims against Apple say that consumers who bought an iPhone 6, 7 or SE have a right to compensation because of how the American tech company deliberately slowed down those models, and others, as the years went on. ConsumentenClaim and the Aequitas Belangenbehartiging Foundation announced this week they were moving ahead with a case against Apple.

Apple released several updates for the iPhone 6, 6 Plus, 6s, 6s Plus, 7, 7 Plus, and the first generation of SE models in 2017 and 2018. These updates weakened the quality level of the smartphones and sought to conceal underlying defects in the batteries used. This made the iPhones slower, and they did not work as well as before the update.

Apple did not inform its users about this. Therefore, consumers suffered damages caused by the slower speed, worse functionality, and lesser quality of the iPhones, the organizations claimed. Many consumers felt they had no other choice but to replace the battery or the iPhone.

"We think that Apple is guilty of unfair trade practices due to the deliberate slowing down of iPhones," said Stef Smith, director of ConsumentenClaim. The claim organization is holding Apple responsible and wants compensation of 100 euros per device. The people who replaced their iPhones due to the unfair practices could receive a higher amount of compensation.

Apple reached an agreement regarding this case in the United States for 613 million dollars, or roughly 572 million euros. This amounted to damages of 92 dollars, or 86 euros, per customer who joined the suit.

A fine of 25 million euros was issued in France, and a 10 million euro fine was confirmed by the court in Italy. There are also mass claims in other countries against Apple.