Apple faces class-action suits in EU over 'batterygate'

[uk666]

Apple faces class-action suits in EU over 'batterygate'

• Apple's so-called "batterygate" scandal began in 2017 when Apple admitted it was slowing down customers' devices when they downloaded new versions of its software.
• The company previously said it was to prevent their old batteries from randomly shutting the phones off, but some critics questioned if it was a move to prompt people to buy newer, more expensive models.

A consumer advocacy group is suing Apple for about €180m in four European countries for allegedly duping users into downloading updates that deliberately slowed down their iPhones.

The legal actions mirror a class action in the US that led to a proposed settlement there worth up to $500m, following allegations that Apple engineered the software updates to induce users to buy newer models. Apple agreed to the US settlement in March, admitting no wrongdoing but saying it wanted to avoid protracted litigation.

“Apple pushed updates to mask problems with the battery, knowing it would slow down phones,” said Els Bruggeman, head of policy and enforcement at Euroconsumers, the consumer advocacy group behind the new lawsuits.

European consumers, she said, “just want to be treated with the same respect that was given to consumers in the United States”.

Euroconsumers-affiliated groups are filing class-action lawsuits in Belgium and Spain on Wednesday, while additional lawsuits in Italy and Portugal are planned for the coming weeks.

US-style class-action cases do not exist for the continent as a whole but the individual filings could lead to a “snowball effect” across Europe, said Bart Volders, partner at Arcas Law, which is representing plaintiffs in Belgium.

“Experience shows that once one European country takes initiative, the others follow,” he said. 

The claims cover more than 3m iPhone 6, iPhone 7 and iPhone SE models sold in the four countries between 2014 and 2020.

Following the first public outcries in 2017, Apple offered discounts for replacing batteries and issued an apology. It acknowledged slowing processor speeds, saying that it was trying to manage power on older phones to prevent unexpected shutdowns.