Apple agreed to pay $ 20 million to resolve a Category-Affairs Above the swelling of the battery in the Apple Watch. The US provincial court for the northern region of California in 2019 is lodged with the lawsuit claiming that the problem has affected the first four Apple Watch models.
Battery swelling is almost what sounds: an accumulation of heat and gas into the lithium -ion battery, causing its walls to extend. The phenomenon can, in turn, damage or break other components on the device as it grows in the tight space.
Apple still denies the issue, stating that it was paid only to avoid future legal fees from a lawsuit that has been extending for more than five years.
“Apple denies all the allegations made in the lawsuit, denies that covered watches have addressed any battery -related issues and denies that Apple has done something inappropriate or illegal,” the court notes. “Apple supports many defenses in claims in this case. The proposed settlement to resolve this case is not an assumption of guilt or injustice of any kind from Apple.”
The company had even stronger words in a statement sent to TechCrunch, stating:
The Apple Watch is designed to be safe and reliable. This settlement applies to Original Apple Watch, Series 1, Series 2 and Series 3 buyers, which are no longer available for purchase. While we strongly disagree with the claims made against these early generation Apple Watch models, we have agreed to install to avoid further differences.
In order to qualify for payment, users must have notified Apple’s customer service on the issue between April 24, 2015 and 6 February 2024. The compensation is based on how many complaints the influenced contractor deposited during the above window, with Class payments ranging from $ 20 to $ 50.
Monitoring owners must submit further payment information to The official website of the trial Before April 10, 2025 to receive payment.
The settlement comes a week after Google Fitbit’s obligation to pay $ 12.25 million due to battery overheating in the Ionian Smartwatch.