Apple to Pay Canadian Customers Up to $150 Following iPhone Battery Controversy

by

A court in British Columbia, Canada today approved Apple's settlement related to the iPhone battery throttling controversy in 2018, according to CBC News.

iPhone 6s MacRumors YouTube
Apple agreed to pay up to $14.4 million (CAD) to settle a class action lawsuit in Canada that alleged the company secretly throttled the performance of some iPhone models. Each affected customer who submits a claim will receive a payment of between $17.50 and $150 (CAD) from Apple, with the exact payout amount to be dependent on the total number of claims submitted. More information on how to submit a claim will be shared on the settlement website, but a specific timeframe has yet to be provided.

The class includes any current or former resident of Canada (excluding Quebec) who owned and/or purchased an iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, and/or iPhone SE with iOS 10.2.1 or later installed or downloaded, and/or an iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus with iOS 11.2 or later installed or downloaded, before December 21, 2017. A serial number will be required for each affected iPhone, according to CBC News.

Apple has denied the allegations described in the lawsuit, and the settlement does not represent an admission of fault. The settlement allows for Apple to avoid the additional time and costs involved with continued litigation.

Apple was sued in multiple Canadian provinces over iPhone battery throttling in 2018, including Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, and Saskatchewan. The cases were filed shortly after Apple revealed that it had started throttling the maximum performance of some iPhone models with "chemically aged" batteries, when necessary, to prevent the devices from unexpectedly shutting down. Apple introduced this new power management system in iOS 10.2.1, but it initially failed to mention the change in that update's release notes, leading to public outcry. Apple eventually apologized about its lack of transparency, and temporarily lowered the price of iPhone battery replacements to $29 (USD) until the end of 2018.

Apple agreed to pay up to $500 million (USD) to settle a similar class action lawsuit in the U.S., and payments started going out in January there.

Tag: iPhone Slowdown

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Dual Tone Feature 1

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 8 New Features

Thursday January 9, 2025 5:45 am PST by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. iPhone 17 Pro concept based on rumors Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of January 2025: More aluminum: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models ...
Read Full Article • 101 comments
HomePod mini and Apple TV

HomePod Mini 2 and New Apple TV Launch Timeframe Narrowed Down

Sunday January 12, 2025 4:11 pm PST by
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman recently reported that Apple plans to release new HomePod mini and Apple TV models this year, and now he has provided a more precise timeframe. In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said Apple is currently aiming to launch the new HomePod mini and Apple TV models "toward the end of the year." That timeframe suggests the devices will be released at some point...
Read Full Article • 57 comments
AppleEventLogoFeature

Apple Focusing on These Eight New Low-Cost Devices in 2025

Saturday January 11, 2025 1:00 am PST by
Apple's slate of 2025 products look to be dominated by a large number of low-cost and entry-level devices. Here's what to expect. With advancements like Apple Intelligence and all-new in-house chip designs, Apple is reportedly looking to enhance many of its budget-friendly offerings, ensuring they remain competitive in an increasingly crowded market. These updates also indicate a slight...
Read Full Article • 151 comments
se 4 for 2025

When to Expect the iPhone SE 4 or So-Called 'iPhone 16E' to Launch

Friday January 10, 2025 9:20 am PST by
Apple is widely rumored to be planning a new iPhone SE, and multiple sources lately have commented on the device's launch timing. The latest word comes from Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. In a blog post today, he said the device will be released around the middle of the first half of 2025. In other words, around the quarter mark of 2025. That means the next iPhone SE will likely be ...
Read Full Article • 103 comments
iPhone 17 Pro Dual Tone Horizontal 1

iPhone 17 Pro Main Camera Sensor 'Smaller' Than iPhone 16 Pro Sensor

Friday January 10, 2025 3:14 am PST by
This year's iPhone 17 Pro models will feature a smaller main camera sensor than the one used in the Fusion camera currently found in iPhone 16 Pro models, according to Weibo-based leaker Digital Chat Station. The Chinese leaker claims that Apple will adopt a 1/1.3" sensor for the 48MP main camera in the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, down from the 1/1.28" sensor used in the iPhone 16...
Read Full Article • 104 comments
airpods pro 2 botw

Hearing a Mysterious Chime From Your AirPods Pro Case? It's a Feature

Thursday January 9, 2025 3:42 pm PST by
If you've been hearing a chiming sound from your AirPods Pro 2 case when the AirPods are charging, it's a feature that Apple added with the launch of Hearing Health last year. In a support guide, Apple says that the AirPods Pro may play a sound every so often while in the case to ensure the microphones and speakers are working as intended. From Apple: To help ensure that your AirPods...
Read Full Article • 68 comments
Generic iOS 18

iOS 18.3 Coming Soon: Here's What's New

Monday January 13, 2025 5:33 am PST by
iOS 18.3 is currently in beta for developers and public beta testers. So far, the upcoming iPhone software update is very minor in scope. Below, we outline what is new in iOS 18.3 so far. The only potential new feature coming to iPhones with iOS 18.3 so far is robot vacuum support in the Home app, but this functionality is not yet live. Apple is laying the groundwork for the feature,...
Read Full Article
airpods pro 2 gradient

AirPods Pro 3 Expected This Year: Here's What We Know

Wednesday January 8, 2025 7:05 am PST by
Despite being released over two years ago, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 continue to dominate the wireless earbud market. However, with the AirPods Pro 3 expected to launch sometime in 2025, anyone thinking of buying Apple's premium earbuds may be wondering if the next generation is worth holding out for. Apart from their audio and noise-canceling performance, which are generally regarded as...
Read Full Article • 64 comments

Top Rated Comments

erikkfi Avatar
erikkfi
11 months ago
Apple’s just getting themselves in trouble everywhere these days, aren’t they?

Of course, they never admit fault.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mike2q Avatar
mike2q
11 months ago

There's no guilt to admit to. Apple can't change the chemistry of batteries. They did what needed to be done to keep the phone working and stable.
They certainly choose the chemistry of their batteries but that's besides the point. They didn't need to throttle their phones for any end user benefits. If you believe they did then a bridge for sale metaphor comes to mind. Other phone manufacturers are somehow able to get by just fine without throttling so defending Apple on this one feels like defending an abusive relationship because you've had some good times together and they didn't mean to hurt you.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ort888 Avatar
ort888
11 months ago

They certainly choose the chemistry of their batteries but that's besides the point. They didn't need to throttle their phones for any end user benefits. If you believe they did then a bridge for sale metaphor comes to mind. Other phone manufacturers are somehow able to get by just fine without throttling so defending Apple on this one feels like defending an abusive relationship because you've had some good times together and they didn't mean to hurt you.
This is such an old story that was all hashed out over and over and over again like 5 years ago. Tons of phones had this exact problem... but rather than throttling, they just let them hard shut off. They just didn't make the headlines because they weren't apple and apple gets the clicks.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BryanElliott Avatar
BryanElliott
11 months ago

There's no guilt to admit to. Apple can't change the chemistry of batteries. They did what needed to be done to keep the phone working and stable.
I think what most people are mad about is that apple made the choice for the customer to keep the phone slow without letting the customer know WHY and if that were the case they should have given the customer the choice in making that performance/battery life decision and at the very least give us more information about our batteries instead of hiding it from us.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
H2SO4 Avatar
H2SO4
11 months ago

There's no guilt to admit to. Apple can't change the chemistry of batteries. They did what needed to be done to keep the phone working and stable.
There was a LOT more to it than battery chemistry, but I've run out of steam to drag over it again so you can all ignore reality.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
H2SO4 Avatar
H2SO4
11 months ago

Apple was pushing for super-thin back then. It had a negative impact on battery life. Phones got thicker again, but now we're returning to thin again, likely because technology has improved.

I don't hold any hard feelings toward Apple trying to keep devices working well. Class-action lawsuits are rooted in selfish victim mindsets.
Someone takes a phone in to an Apple store with a battery problem and instead of telling the customer what the problem was they told them in a lot of cases, You need a new phone.

So the question is, did Apple know what the problem was, before offering this 'fix'? Well lets's see.........

* Apple receive millions of anonymous diagnostic reports when people sync their phones.
* Apple have an official support forum, and although they maintain that no employees actually work there, (no doubt to be able to distance themselves from bad advice), they WILL get feedback about problems.
* Apple have an official online support channel.
* Apple Stores have Genius Bars that report back their findings.
* There are countless other social media avenues that Apple will get wind of problems from, Facebook, Reddit etc.

Are you telling me that you don't believe that Apple, (collectively), lied to customers about what the problem was?
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments