Apple loses ‘batterygate’ lawsuit in South Korea

The Seoul high court issued a ruling against Apple in a lawsuit filed by local consumers, which accused the US tech giant of intentionally reducing the performance of older iPhones, leading to a controversy known as “batterygate.” The plaintiffs claimed that Apple intentionally impaired the performance of iPhones by deliberately slowing down devices through software updates to incentivize users to purchase newer models.

In 2018, a group of iPhone owners filed a lawsuit against Apple for damages. While initially joined by over 62,000 owners, only seven individuals, chose to proceed with the lengthy trial process. The Seoul High Court has ordered Apple to compensate these seven iPhone owners with 70,000 won ($53) each. The court also ruled that Apple was obligated to provide consumers with information about the performance-limiting update, as the lack of disclosure deprived users of the opportunity to make an informed decision on its installation. Additionally, the court supported iPhone owners’ claims that the update adversely affected the device’s performance, resulting in inconvenience during use.

Why does it matter?
While the amount Apple must pay is relatively small, it is the latest lawsuit related to the “batterygate” controversy as it joins a growing list of lawsuits where Apple is required to compensate users. Most notably, in a separate case in the United States, Apple was ordered to pay a hefty sum of $500 million to affected iPhone users.