Credit: Gary Sims / Android Authority
- Apple will begin payouts of ~$500 million to users affected by “batterygate.”
- This years-long process resulted from Apple intentionally throttling iPhone processors for the sake of long-term battery health.
- It is too late for you to file a claim, but those who did in 2020 should receive about $65.
If you can remember as far back as 2017, you’ll know about “batterygate.” Essentially, benchmarking gurus at Geekbench discovered that Apple was intentionally throttling performance on iPhones in order to help preserve battery longevity and prevent various problems from popping up, which sometimes included spontaneous shutdowns. It had been speculated for years that Apple did this, but Geekbench’s report was the first time objective evidence put Apple on the spot.
In response, the company issued a statement tacitly admitting to the practice. However, no admission could lessen the furor, and it wasn’t long before Apple had numerous class-action lawsuits. One of those suits is now, in 2023, finally coming to a close.