Apple Settles Family Sharing Subscription Lawsuit

Apple has agreed to settle a class action lawsuit over Family Sharing, and will pay out $25 million to put an end to the case. First filed in 2019, the lawsuit accused Apple of misrepresenting the way that subscriptions to third-party apps worked with the Family Sharing feature.

While Family Sharing allows participants to share subscriptions with one another, app developers can opt out of allowing a single subscription to be shared among multiple people. Not all subscriptions can be shared because of the opt out policy, which is what led to the lawsuit.

Though Apple has agreed to a settlement, the company says it did nothing wrong and denies making misleading misrepresentations. Apple decided to avoid the potential cost and burden of a jury trial.

U.S. Apple users who participated in a Family Sharing group with at least one other member and purchased a subscription to an app through the App Store between June 21, 2015 and January 30, 2019 are eligible for a payment.

Each class member that files a claim is set to get $30, though that total will vary depending on how many claims are made. The payout will not exceed $50 per claimant, and up to $10 million will go toward attorney fees. Emails about the lawsuit settlement are being sent out to eligible customers as of this week.

Customers have until March 1, 2024 to file a claim, and a final approval hearing is scheduled for April 2, 2024. More information can be found on the website for the settlement.