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Those of you who’ve owned the right model iPhone 6, 7, or SE could be due some money courtesy of a settlement Apple has made in response to a class-action lawsuit in the US.

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In the infamous Batterygate scandal, Apple was hit with heavy criticism over its tactic of slowing the performance of certain iPhones, ostensibly to make the batteries last longer. Part of the issue was that Apple neither informed customers of this action nor gave users any means to control the feature. This led to several class-action lawsuits against the iPhone maker. Though not admitting any culpability, Apple has settled the suit filed in the US, which could mean a payout for affected iPhone owners.

To qualify for the cash, you must meet the following conditions:
You must own or have owned an iPhone 6, 6 Plus, 6s, 6s Plus, and/or SE device that ran iOS 10.2.1 or later before Dec. 21, 2017; or you must own or have owned an iPhone 7 or 7 Plus device that ran iOS 11.2 or later before Dec. 21, 2017. You’ll also need the serial number for your device to prove that you owned it.

Under the proposed settlement, Apple will make a minimum payment of $310,000,000 and a maximum payment of up to $500,000,000 depending on the number of claims submitted. As such, each individual who files a claim would receive $25. But that amount could end up higher or lower based on how many people submit a claim.


Image: Apple

At this point, though, it’s not yet a done deal. The US District Court for the Northern District of California authorized this initial settlement action. However, the court still had to conduct a final hearing to determine whether to approve the settlement so that the money can be paid to each individual who stakes a claim.

To learn more about the process, go to the settlement page for Apple Inc. Device Performance Litigation. From this page, you can take one of several actions—file a claim online or through the mail, exclude yourself from the settlement, object to the settlement, object to the fees for the attorneys, or even go to a hearing about the settlement.

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To file an actual claim online, open the claim submission form. Enter your phone’s serial number. To find it, go to Settings, General, and then About. Click the Submit button to see if your device qualifies. If so, enter your mailing address and contact information. Specify whether you want to be paid electronically or by a check in the mail. Submit your claim form. You can then print or save a copy of your claim details. You should also receive a confirmation email with your claim number and details.

You must submit your claim by Oct. 6, 2020. The final hearing is scheduled for Dec. 4, 2020, so you should know soon after that date whether to expect a payout from Apple, and for how much.