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By Suzanne Blake
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Apple users should act quickly because they will soon run out of time to claim an iPhone settlement worth more than $300.
The company will pay up to $349 to customers who had audio problems on two of the older iPhone models.
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Apple originally faced the lawsuit in 2019 after two iPhone owners accused the company of selling products with an audio defect on the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus. For both models, consumers repeatedly complained of problems with the audio IC chip, which affected how audio was permitted out of the phone.
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In settling the lawsuit, Apple agreed to pay $35 million, and it is estimated around 1.6 million customers can collect. However, time is running out since the deadline was set for June 3 to file claims.
If you're eligible for the settlement payment, you should have received a written notice by mail or email about your potential check. To qualify, you had to own the affected models between September 16, 2016, and January 3, 2023. You also must have a written complaint filed with Apple over your audio issues, so the vast majority of iPhone users who purchased the 7 or 7 Plus models are not eligible.
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"It may sound like anyone who owned an iPhone 7 or 7 Plus would be eligible for a piece of the sizable settlement, but the reality is payments can only possibly be made to the around 1.6 million class members who were a part of the original suit," Alex Beene, a financial literacy instructor at the University of Tennessee at Martin, told Newsweek. "Those class members must file a claim prior to the June 3 deadline in order to qualify."
The specific people who could earn the $349 amount are those who actually paid Apple to fix or replace their phone due to the ongoing audio issues. Everyone else who expressed problems with their audio to Apple at the time can get up to $125.
Newsweek reached out to Apple for comment via email.
"For Apple, making payments to the users affected was the best of a bad situation," Beene said. "With the alleged audio issues, the phones had for these users, the only solution would have been technical repairs years after the iPhone 7's release. It's fair to say most of the class members on the suit have moved on to another smartphone model by now. Paying out scaled amounts to those with the audio issues compensates them for any problems they encountered."
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While Apple has admitted no wrongdoing, the company will be waiting on a final judge approval on July 18 before checks go out.
Apple customers are encouraged to call 1-833-633-0343 to see if they're eligible.
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