Apple has agreed to pay up to $ 500 million to settle a lawsuit related to the deliberate slowdown of iPhone smartphones

Apple agreed to pay up to $ 500 million to settle a lawsuit in which it was accused of imperceptibly slowing down the old iPhone smartphones with the release of new models, in order to encourage owners to replace devices or batteries.

A preliminary proposed settlement was announced Friday night. He must still be approved by the district judge.

In accordance with the proposal, Apple will pay consumers $ 25 for each affected iPhone smartphone. This amount can be increased or decreased depending on how many devices fall under the settlement. The minimum total payout is $ 310 million.

Court documents show that Apple has denied breaking the law and is agreeing to avoid litigation and legal costs.

The agreement applies to the American owners of smartphones iPhone 6, 6 Plus, 6s, 6s Plus, 7, 7Plus or SE, on which the operating system iOS 10.2.1 or later is installed. It also applies to US owners of the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, who were running iOS 11.2 or later until December 21, 2017.

Consumers claimed their phone performance suffered after installing Apple software updates. This misled them, giving the impression that smartphones need to be replaced. Consumer lawyers called the settlement “fair, reasonable and adequate.” They expect to receive up to $ 93 million for their services, which is 30% of $ 310 million, plus up to $ 1.5 million as compensation for expenses.