Technology

IIE Digital Desk:Apple will finally began to roll out compensation for select iPhone users for allegedly slowing down the performance of the phon. In a tale that began five years ago, iPhone users found themselves in a tussle with tech giant Apple, alleging that their iPhone 6, iPhone 7, and iPhone SE, were being deliberately slowed down. Accusations flew, and the Cupertino-based company stood its groun. They agreed to slowing down the devices but said that they had no bad intention behind it. However, in a twist, Apple chose the path of resolution in 2020, agreeing to a substantial payout of up to $500 million to avoid a potentially costly legal showdown, as reported by Reuters.

According to a report from Silicon Valley, a recent decision has allowed Apple to start giving money to people who were unhappy because their iPhones were deliberately slow. Tyson Redenbarger, a legal champion for these iPhone users, thinks that each person might get about $65, which is around Rs 5000 in Indian money. This could mean that the issue might finally be coming to an end, as mentioned on SiliconValley.com.

Back in 2016, Apple admitted that they purposely made older iPhones slower. But they said they did it to prevent the phones from suddenly turning off, not to be mean. This was reported by The Verge. It's like Apple was speaking like a really good speaker, explaining why they did it.

But not all were swayed by this explanation. Certain iPhone owners were unsatisfied and rallied together, forming a class-action lawsuit against the mighty tech juggernaut in 2018. The roster of affected iPhones read like a digital roll call:

iPhone 6

iPhone 6 Plus

iPhone 6s

iPhone 6s Plus

iPhone SE

iPhone 7

iPhone 7 Plus

In the world of law, there was a big disagreement with Apple. They first said they didn't do anything wrong, but in 2020, they changed their mind and wanted to fix things. They agreed to pay some money, between $310 million and $500 million. At first, the people who complained might have gotten $25 each. But two iPhone owners wanted more and said no to the first offer. This week, they were told that they won't get more, and that means Apple can start giving money to the upset iPhone users.

Who can get the compensation?

If you had an iPhone 6, 7, or the first SE model, you might wonder if you'll get money as part of the compensation. Unfortunately, if you didn't ask for it before October 6, 2020, you can't get it now. The chance to get compensation is over if you missed that date. Basically, you had to register with your serial number on a website which was created by the company to log in grievances who faced issues with their iPhone’s performance.

Three years ago, a special website was created for people to say they wanted money. They had to type in their iPhone's serial number to show they really had one. They could pick to get the money in their bank or through a check sent by mail. This shows how getting paid is changing with new ways like the internet.