A Proposed Settlement for iPhone 7 Audio Defects: What You Need to Know
A proposed class of Apple customers has approached a California federal judge, seeking preliminary approval for a $35 million settlement in a long-standing legal case. The core issue in question is whether Apple knowingly sold iPhone 7 smartphones with audio defects.
If approved, the settlement would provide compensation to class members who paid out-of-pocket expenses for repairing or replacing their iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus phones due to specific audio-related issues. The estimated payout would range from $50 to $349. Additionally, class members who reported the alleged problems to Apple but did not incur repair costs could receive up to $125. A hearing regarding the motion is scheduled for June 29.
It will be interesting to see how this unfolds and what it means for iPhone 7 owners.
The proposed settlement aims to resolve a lawsuit that was initially initiated by a woman named Lisa Tabak and a group of iPhone buyers in May 2019. They claimed that an audio system defect in the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, which affected the audio chip on the logic board, caused sound disruptions. The bending of the iPhone's casing during normal usage severed the connection between the audio chip and logic board, resulting in audio malfunctions that affected features like phone calling and Siri.
Although some claims were dismissed through multiple rounds of amendments, the judge did not dismiss the entire case, leading the parties to enter into mediation in 2021.
Initially, the class certification motion was supposed to be due in May 2022, but the parties requested an extension to continue their mediation efforts. Earlier this month, they informed the judge that they had reached a tentative agreement, which prompted the motion for approval.
According to the motion, Apple has received approximately 2 million complaints from iPhone 7 and 7 Plus owners regarding the alleged audio issues. Out of these complaints, around 113,000 iPhone owners paid an average of $193 to repair or replace their devices, which were originally sold for around $649 or $769.
According to data, the administrator estimates that about 210,000 class members will submit valid claims. To support their request for approval, the motion cites previous multimillion-dollar settlements reached by Apple in similar cases.
For instance, they mention a $53 million settlement in a case called In re Apple iPhone/iPod Warranty Litigation, which was approved in 2014. They also refer to a recent $50 million preliminary settlement in the In re MacBook Keyboard Litigation, which is still awaiting final approval.
