Apple users can get payout from £3.6bn iCloud lawsuit but there's certain criteria
Apple are currently facing a significant class action lawsuit regarding accusations of overcharging iCloud users, leaving nearly 39.7 million iPhone owners wondering if they'd qualify for a share of compensation that could reach £77 ($101.60) in total if succesful.
It's not the first time that Apple has been subject to a legal challenge like this, but the tech giant could be forced to pay out a significant amount of money to anyone who has owned an iPhone and used iCloud services over the last nearly eight years.
The lawsuit itself was launched by UK consumer champion Which? back in 2024, with the company arguing that Apple 'trapped' users and forced them to use – and often pay for – iCloud services without offering the ability to seek out an alternative, allegedly breaching competition law as a result.
Many iPhone owners will already be paying an iCloud subscription to keep hold of all their photos, videos, and other files without needing to have them on the device's physical storage, but Which? argues that the way Apple funnelled users into this decision "stifled competition and ripped off millions of customers in the process," as per the Daily Star.
Who would qualify for compensation?
Prospective compensation as a result of the class action lawsuit is eligible only to iCloud users in the United Kingdom, with the time period specified as being between 8 November 2018 and 8 June 2026.
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It doesn't appear that you need to have specifically owned an iPhone during this time frame, only that you have had an iCloud subscription — with the level of compensation presumably linked to the length of time your subscription lasted for.
It is expected that, if the lawsuit is successful, qualifying claimants could be entitled to as much as £77 in compensation, although that figure does depend on the final decision and could change dramatically depending on how much Apple has to pay and how many claimants there are overall.
Anyone that matches the qualification requirements listed above will be automatically included in the class action lawsuit, so you don't need to go out of your way to sign up, but you do also reserve the right to opt out if you so decide.
Additionally, individuals who now live overseas but previously resided in the UK and started an iCloud subscription during that time period will need to actively opt in to the class action lawsuit when it becomes available, but you will qualify for compensation all the same.
Can you claim compensation yet?
As the lawsuit is yet to reach a conclusion there is currently no means of claiming compensation or actively putting yourself forward for qualification in situations where it applies, yet it's likely that the decision will be made in court soon.
It appears as if Apple intends to fight the claims made by Which?, however, with an Apple spokesperson noting that the allegations brought forward by the consumer champion are 'unfounded'.
Addressing the situation, Which? chief executive Anabel Hoult revealed: "The granting of the CPO [collective proceedings order] means that we're one step closer to getting consumers the redress we believe they are owed from Apple and this should send a strong message to any other companies using anti-competitive tactics."