Europe presses Apple for more iPhone 'batterygate' compensation

AppleInsider · July 3, 2020 2:49PM

Three years after Apple slowed down its iPhones to protect aging batteries, a group in Europe is demanding the company pay compensation to all users.

Previously... Apple did slow down older iPhones to protect batteries, and it did fail to tell customers that it had done so. It also then apologized, introduced a cheaper battery replacement programme, and got hit with countless lawsuits.

Whatever that count of lawsuits became, Apple can now expect to add one more. According to Dutch publication iCulture, a collection of five European consumer organizations want compensation, and are threatening legal action.

"The group operates under the name Euroconsumers," says iCulture (in translation), "and consists of the Belgian Test Achats, OCU (Spain), Deco-Proteste (Portugal), AltroConsumo (Italy) and Proteste (Brazil). The latter is not European, but still participates."

"The plan is to get Apple to pay 60 euros to iPhone users who feel duped because Apple is said to be 'planned obsolescence,'" it continues.

Euroconsumers' demand for 60 euros (approximately $66), is because the group believes that the life of the affected iPhones were "artificially shortened."

If the decision to pursue this three years late seems as odd as including a Brazilian organisation in a European dispute, there is a reason. In February 2020, the French government finally settled its case against Apple over this issue, and fined the company 25 million euros ($27m).

According to iCulture, it is this settlement that prompted the Euroconsumers group to file for compensation too. So far the group has written to Apple twice, on June 11, and then again on July 2. The latter message gives Apple 15 days to respond before, the group says, it will begin legal action.

Apple has not responded publicly. And the Dutch iCulture notes that consumer organizations in its own country are not joining the compensation claim.

crowley · July 3, 2020 3:12PM

It's The Final Countdown for Apple.

cjk91108 · July 3, 2020 3:14PM

This is the concern with initially accepting the answer forced on them by their lack of strong response. The reason for the slow down was engineering. A cell out of balance with the others can (and has for many of my customers) caused a crash/system reset. The fine is ridiculous, Apple might continue to allow inexpensive battery replacement. These types of shake downs are happening in many industries these days. Maybe in a time before good information was a available this was a problem but to continue to find smaller and smaller examples to show that things are still out of control is benefiting very few. I do not for a moment believe that those users have been scammed out of the ROI of their device because Apple chose to limit battery usage when the battery began degrade with age. Not even Apple can stop physics.

jony0 · July 3, 2020 7:05PM

Rayz2016 said:

mr lizard said:

I wonder if the authors of these posts have any control over the false click bait headlines that adorn their stories? “Europe” is emphatically not pressing Apple for compensation.

This is the most deceptive headline ever, or really poor writing. Not sure which.

The other deceptive language which I think is a big part of the problem and exacerbated by the media is the use of the word "slow" or "slowdown". There is a palpable sense of permanence in that word that is not present in the proper word "throttle". As in :
"Apple did not (permanently) slow down your phone, the phone (temporarily) throttles the processor to avoid a sudden shutdown initiated to protect the battery. This will also will extend its life of the battery as well." (And possibly avoid the phone go Samsung Smokey.)
I was so relieved by that update because my 6S was shutting down with over 40% battery on a weekly basis and more. This stopped immediately after that update and i had never ever noticed a difference in performance until this whole issue came out in the open. And nobody that I know of ever mentioned a difference in performance for years until this whole kerfuffle came out. Yes, yes, Apple coulda shoulda done better, they should've done exactly what they did eventually, but in the real world this had no impact, nobody noticed.

Peza · July 3, 2020 7:17PM

cjk91108 said:

This is the concern with initially accepting the answer forced on them by their lack of strong response. The reason for the slow down was engineering. A cell out of balance with the others can (and has for many of my customers) caused a crash/system reset. The fine is ridiculous, Apple might continue to allow inexpensive battery replacement. These types of shake downs are happening in many industries these days. Maybe in a time before good information was a available this was a problem but to continue to find smaller and smaller examples to show that things are still out of control is benefiting very few. I do not for a moment believe that those users have been scammed out of the ROI of their device because Apple chose to limit battery usage when the battery began degrade with age. Not even Apple can stop physics.

And what about those people who bought new iPhones because Apple told them their was absolutely nothing wrong with their batteries according to Apple diagnostics software.. Apple has got off incredibly lightly so far for its criminal act here, and yes it was a criminal act in some cases, like telling people to buy a new iPhone because their software stated the battery was fine, and let’s not forgot it wasn’t till Apple was caught red handed it was deliberately slowing phones down before they admitted it.. guilt all over them. Personally I’d have slapped Apple with a few billion dollars in fines and placed them under strict audits for 2 years to check they were not misdirecting consumers.

mknelson · July 3, 2020 7:57PM

Peza said:
And what about those people who bought new iPhones because Apple told them their was absolutely nothing wrong with their batteries according to Apple diagnostics software.. Apple has got off incredibly lightly so far for its criminal act here, and yes it was a criminal act in some cases, like telling people to buy a new iPhone because their software stated the battery was fine, and let’s not forgot it wasn’t till Apple was caught red handed it was deliberately slowing phones down before they admitted it.. guilt all over them. Personally I’d have slapped Apple with a few billion dollars in fines and placed them under strict audits for 2 years to check they were not misdirecting consumers.

What are you talking about? Apple told people to buy a new iPhone?

I have a friend who experienced the random shutdowns with her iPhone about 9 months before the software update with the "secret fix". Nobody ever told her to buy a new phone. I ran diagnostics and we could see her battery was testing fine during the AppleCare period, but was shutting off with the batter in the 20-40% full range. The fix was a welcome extension to the life of her phone until Apple did the battery replacement program.

TomE · July 3, 2020 8:30PM

Peza said:

cjk91108 said:

This is the concern with initially accepting the answer forced on them by their lack of strong response. The reason for the slow down was engineering. A cell out of balance with the others can (and has for many of my customers) caused a crash/system reset. The fine is ridiculous, Apple might continue to allow inexpensive battery replacement. These types of shake downs are happening in many industries these days. Maybe in a time before good information was a available this was a problem but to continue to find smaller and smaller examples to show that things are still out of control is benefiting very few. I do not for a moment believe that those users have been scammed out of the ROI of their device because Apple chose to limit battery usage when the battery began degrade with age. Not even Apple can stop physics.

And what about those people who bought new iPhones because Apple told them their was absolutely nothing wrong with their batteries according to Apple diagnostics software.. Apple has got off incredibly lightly so far for its criminal act here, and yes it was a criminal act in some cases, like telling people to buy a new iPhone because their software stated the battery was fine, and let’s not forgot it wasn’t till Apple was caught red handed it was deliberately slowing phones down before they admitted it.. guilt all over them. Personally I’d have slapped Apple with a few billion dollars in fines and placed them under strict audits for 2 years to check they were not misdirecting consumers.

Fortunately Mr Peza, you are not in a position to "Slap Apple with billions in Fines and neither are you in a position to place them under strict Audits". Apple does everything possible to provide its customers with the best possible engineering & products. I would not pay anything to the organizations who have filed suit. Apple saved the Batteries in my opinion. My 6S+ still works fine with a reduced Maximum Capacity of 92%. Maybe I will put a new battery in it, maybe not. Would I like a new battery ? Sure I would , but it is too much trouble for me to have it done.

wonkothesane · July 3, 2020 9:33PM

What I find personally the most disgusting is that once you become (too?) successful exactly because of how you do things there will always be bozos that twist the facts such that you owe them. Pathetic at best in case of individuals. Totally unacceptable for organizations that claim amongst other things to have enough technical expertise to judge stuff.

Next up: Cue the lawsuits of Apple should stop adding chargers that they need to add them only to be followed by lawsuits accusing them of producing waste.

fastasleep · July 3, 2020 10:29PM

PLEASE STOP PERPETUATING THE USE OF "GATE" FOR PERCEIVED SCANDALS. As your own Mike W. has pointed out many times (and I love this), "Watergate was not about water".

fastasleep · July 3, 2020 10:30PM

Peza said:

cjk91108 said:

This is the concern with initially accepting the answer forced on them by their lack of strong response. The reason for the slow down was engineering. A cell out of balance with the others can (and has for many of my customers) caused a crash/system reset. The fine is ridiculous, Apple might continue to allow inexpensive battery replacement. These types of shake downs are happening in many industries these days. Maybe in a time before good information was a available this was a problem but to continue to find smaller and smaller examples to show that things are still out of control is benefiting very few. I do not for a moment believe that those users have been scammed out of the ROI of their device because Apple chose to limit battery usage when the battery began degrade with age. Not even Apple can stop physics.

And what about those people who bought new iPhones because Apple told them their was absolutely nothing wrong with their batteries according to Apple diagnostics software.. Apple has got off incredibly lightly so far for its criminal act here, and yes it was a criminal act in some cases, like telling people to buy a new iPhone because their software stated the battery was fine, and let’s not forgot it wasn’t till Apple was caught red handed it was deliberately slowing phones down before they admitted it.. guilt all over them. Personally I’d have slapped Apple with a few billion dollars in fines and placed them under strict audits for 2 years to check they were not misdirecting consumers.

Apple provides battery service; nobody had to buy a new iPhone. There was no software that "stated the battery was fine".

longfang · July 4, 2020 12:12AM

Peza said:

cjk91108 said:

This is the concern with initially accepting the answer forced on them by their lack of strong response. The reason for the slow down was engineering. A cell out of balance with the others can (and has for many of my customers) caused a crash/system reset. The fine is ridiculous, Apple might continue to allow inexpensive battery replacement. These types of shake downs are happening in many industries these days. Maybe in a time before good information was a available this was a problem but to continue to find smaller and smaller examples to show that things are still out of control is benefiting very few. I do not for a moment believe that those users have been scammed out of the ROI of their device because Apple chose to limit battery usage when the battery began degrade with age. Not even Apple can stop physics.

And what about those people who bought new iPhones because Apple told them their was absolutely nothing wrong with their batteries according to Apple diagnostics software.. Apple has got off incredibly lightly so far for its criminal act here, and yes it was a criminal act in some cases, like telling people to buy a new iPhone because their software stated the battery was fine, and let’s not forgot it wasn’t till Apple was caught red handed it was deliberately slowing phones down before they admitted it.. guilt all over them. Personally I’d have slapped Apple with a few billion dollars in fines and placed them under strict audits for 2 years to check they were not misdirecting consumers.

Meh, I always saw it as an excuse to buy a new iPhone.

qwerty52 · July 4, 2020 8:40AM

I know Belgian Test Achats . It is non governmental organization. It is always trying to get to the news with strenge claims in Belgium too.
For me, “batterygate” is the best example, for how a good intention of Apple kan be misused and turned upside down to put it in bad light.
And af course everything for the smell of the money......

randominternetperson · July 4, 2020 5:32PM

Spain, Portugal, and Belgium? Real European heavyweights there. They couldn't get Monaco to sign up?

Also $60+ per person is outrageously high.

wonkothesane · July 4, 2020 6:42PM

randominternetperson said:

Spain, Portugal, and Belgium? Real European heavyweights there. They couldn't get Monaco to sign up?

Also $60+ per person is outrageously high.

Not to forget Brazil. 😂

lkrupp · July 4, 2020 9:00PM

Peza said:

cjk91108 said:

This is the concern with initially accepting the answer forced on them by their lack of strong response. The reason for the slow down was engineering. A cell out of balance with the others can (and has for many of my customers) caused a crash/system reset. The fine is ridiculous, Apple might continue to allow inexpensive battery replacement. These types of shake downs are happening in many industries these days. Maybe in a time before good information was a available this was a problem but to continue to find smaller and smaller examples to show that things are still out of control is benefiting very few. I do not for a moment believe that those users have been scammed out of the ROI of their device because Apple chose to limit battery usage when the battery began degrade with age. Not even Apple can stop physics.

And what about those people who bought new iPhones because Apple told them their was absolutely nothing wrong with their batteries according to Apple diagnostics software.. Apple has got off incredibly lightly so far for its criminal act here, and yes it was a criminal act in some cases, like telling people to buy a new iPhone because their software stated the battery was fine, and let’s not forgot it wasn’t till Apple was caught red handed it was deliberately slowing phones down before they admitted it.. guilt all over them. Personally I’d have slapped Apple with a few billion dollars in fines and placed them under strict audits for 2 years to check they were not misdirecting consumers.

I wish AppleInsider would start fact checking posts like Facebook has started to do recently. The above comment should be flagged as patently false and libelous with no basis in fact. Even as an opinion it is ludicrous.

hexclock · July 4, 2020 9:53PM

Peza said:

cjk91108 said:

This is the concern with initially accepting the answer forced on them by their lack of strong response. The reason for the slow down was engineering. A cell out of balance with the others can (and has for many of my customers) caused a crash/system reset. The fine is ridiculous, Apple might continue to allow inexpensive battery replacement. These types of shake downs are happening in many industries these days. Maybe in a time before good information was a available this was a problem but to continue to find smaller and smaller examples to show that things are still out of control is benefiting very few. I do not for a moment believe that those users have been scammed out of the ROI of their device because Apple chose to limit battery usage when the battery began degrade with age. Not even Apple can stop physics.

And what about those people who bought new iPhones because Apple told them their was absolutely nothing wrong with their batteries according to Apple diagnostics software.. Apple has got off incredibly lightly so far for its criminal act here, and yes it was a criminal act in some cases, like telling people to buy a new iPhone because their software stated the battery was fine, and let’s not forgot it wasn’t till Apple was caught red handed it was deliberately slowing phones down before they admitted it.. guilt all over them. Personally I’d have slapped Apple with a few billion dollars in fines and placed them under strict audits for 2 years to check they were not misdirecting consumers.

You don’t strike me as someone who has ever interacted with Apple’s Customer Service. In my experience, they will bend over backwards to resolve an issue for you.

Mike Wuerthele · July 5, 2020 11:27PM

lkrupp said:

Peza said:

cjk91108 said:

This is the concern with initially accepting the answer forced on them by their lack of strong response. The reason for the slow down was engineering. A cell out of balance with the others can (and has for many of my customers) caused a crash/system reset. The fine is ridiculous, Apple might continue to allow inexpensive battery replacement. These types of shake downs are happening in many industries these days. Maybe in a time before good information was a available this was a problem but to continue to find smaller and smaller examples to show that things are still out of control is benefiting very few. I do not for a moment believe that those users have been scammed out of the ROI of their device because Apple chose to limit battery usage when the battery began degrade with age. Not even Apple can stop physics.

And what about those people who bought new iPhones because Apple told them their was absolutely nothing wrong with their batteries according to Apple diagnostics software.. Apple has got off incredibly lightly so far for its criminal act here, and yes it was a criminal act in some cases, like telling people to buy a new iPhone because their software stated the battery was fine, and let’s not forgot it wasn’t till Apple was caught red handed it was deliberately slowing phones down before they admitted it.. guilt all over them. Personally I’d have slapped Apple with a few billion dollars in fines and placed them under strict audits for 2 years to check they were not misdirecting consumers.

I wish AppleInsider would start fact checking posts like Facebook has started to do recently. The above comment should be flagged as patently false and libelous with no basis in fact. Even as an opinion it is ludicrous.

We don't have nearly enough time or staff to do so. When we see conspiracy theory posts, those get nuked like two comments did here, but in regards to just wrong posts, the more sane members of the forum do a pretty good job in calling it out.

This said, I will say that Peza's comment is ludicrous, and has no basis in reality.

Europe presses Apple for more iPhone 'batterygate' compensation

Comments