iPhone: Compensation payments to customers due to Batterygate are underway - and are quite substantial

Apple didn't exactly make itself popular with Batterygate, where it became known that the technology giant had deliberately reduced the maximum performance of certain iPhones. Apple claimed that the measure was intended to prevent aging smartphones from unexpectedly shutting down under high load. In contrast, critics argued that Apple was artificially slowing down still-powerful iPhones and thus spurring consumers to purchase new iPhones. However, it was not only the technology as such, but also the communication that infuriated customers. The reduction in performance was not clearly communicated, which meant that customers could not necessarily deduce that the battery was the problem based on a subjective perception of a loss of performance.

This anger has also been reflected in lawsuits, namely several class action lawsuits in the US. In 2020, Apple finally agreed to pay up to $500 million as part of a settlement. Now, according to media reports, these payments have actually started. Michael Burkhardt reports on X how he received a payment of $92.17 dollars per claim - a significant sum.

US owners of an iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus or iPhone SE, iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus were eligible to file a claim until October 2020, and they also had to have special iOS versions installed before December 21, 2017.