How to claim your part of $500 million iPhone ‘Batterygate’ settlement

Apple is ready to put 2017’s “Batterygate” controversy in its rear view mirror. And now it’s your turn to get your hands on any money your owed as part of the class-action lawsuit filed against Apple after it deliberately slowed down iPhones to preserve battery life.

Batterygate came to light when users with older iPhones noticed significantly degraded system performance. That was Apple’s doing, as the company tried to keep those older iPhones from consuming too much battery power after updating to newer iOS versions. However, some users felt that they were being pushed to upgrade their phones, and they took Apple to court.

Apple agreed to a $500 million payout to settle the lawsuit, and there’s now an official settlement site where you can file your claim.

Don’t expect a big windfall. Apple is offering “a cash payment of approximately $25 per eligible device.” As additional users submit claims that exceed $500 million, that total can (and likely will) continue to go down.  

But found money is still money, especially if you had to deal with a throttled iPhone. If you want to claim your portion of the $500 million settlement, you’ll need to meet a certain set of criteria. Specifically, you must currently own (or have previously owned) one of the following devices:

• An iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus running iOS 11.2 or later prior to Dec. 21, 2017
• An iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6S, iPhone 6S Plus, or an iPhone SE running iOS 10.2.1 or later prior to Dec. 21, 2017

If you fit those qualifications, go to the settlement website created by the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. Start with Submit A Claim, where you’ll be prompted to enter the serial number from one of your qualifying devices. If you don’t know the serial number, you can use the Search Tool to locate it by providing your Apple ID, device type, first and last name, and address. 

Once you’ve entered your information, you’ll be able to fill out a few other details, and then you can consider your claim completed.

Don’t expect payment right away. The website indicates that there’s still a final hearing pending for early December, where a judge will need to sign off on the settlement. In order for the cash to be distributed, this hearing will need to go off without a hitch for settlement benefits to reach claimants. 

Less interested in pocketing some cash and looking to opt out of the settlement entirely? You can do so via the official claim website under the “How do I get out of the settlement?” portion of the main page’s FAQ. This is an action you’d need to take if you were pursuing your own individual case against Apple over the battery issues, so keep that in mind if you’re feeling particularly litigious.