Apple agreed to pay $500 million in damages in 2020 to settle a U.S. class-action lawsuit that accused Apple of "secretly downclocking" some iPhone models. The website of the so-called "Battery Gate" settlement said that compensation may begin to be paid out in January this year. At the beginning of the new year, the payment has already begun as scheduled, with the compensation for each claim being US$92.17.
The lawsuit was filed in December 2017, shortly after Apple disclosed that it had reduced the maximum performance of some iPhone models equipped with "chemically aged" batteries when necessary to prevent the devices from shutting down unexpectedly. Apple introduced this power management system in iOS 10.2.1, but initially did not mention the change in the update's release notes. After the incident, Apple apologized for its lack of transparency and temporarily lowered the price of iPhone battery replacements to $29 in 2018.
While Apple has apologized for the way it communicated the changes, it has repeatedly denied all accusations and has never admitted any legal wrongdoing. Apple said it agreed to the settlement simply to "avoid burdensome and costly litigation."
The class includes any U.S. resident who owned an affected iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus and/or iPhone SE running iOS 10.2.1 or later, and/or an iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus running iOS 11.2 or later before December 21, 2017. The deadline to submit claims for compensation is October 2020.
Apple has since continued to equip performance management systems on iPhone 6 and newer models.