Apple to pay Canadians $14.4M in proposed class-action settlement. Here's how much you could get

Following a scandal involving its software and batteries in its iPhones, Apple has agreed to pay Canadians as much as $14.4 million in a proposed class-action settlement.

"Now is the time to go digging through drawers looking for that old phone you no longer use," said Carmi Levy, a technology expert from London, Ont.

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Dubbed "batterygate," Apple faced allegations that it provided software to consumers that slowed down the operations of its iPhone 6 and iPhone 7 models to encourage users to buy newer, more expensive iPhones.

Under the Canadian iPhone Power Management Class Action, Apple will pay Canadians between $11.1 million and a maximum of $14.4 million and consumers will get up to $150 per affected phone.

Anyone who owned an iPhone 6 or iPhone 7 and downloaded a new version of the IOS operating system before Dec. 21, 2016 is eligible for the payout.

Apple faced the lawsuits after revealing software updates could slow down the performance speeds on older iPhones. While some customers complained Apple was purposefully and knowingly releasing software updates that slowed performance speeds, in the settlement Apple claimed that was not the case.

“As part of this resolution Apple has denied the allegations that it slowed down speeds in order to force consumers to buy new phones and it assumes no fault," said Levy.

Levy said the proposed settlement in Canada follows a similar lawsuit in the United States where Apple paid consumers a half a billion dollars.

"This was a global issue and for Apple they are going to have to cut a lot cheques to settle it," said Levy.

File - People walk by an Apple store Oct. 20, 2023, in Denver. (AP Photo/Brittany Peterson, File)

The settlement must be approved by the British Columbia Supreme Court on Jan. 29 and if the settlement is approved consumers will have to fill out a claim form with their iPhone’s serial number which is something many people may no longer have.

"You have to have the phone or a record of that you owned the phone with that particular serial number and if you traded the phone or sold it you may be out of luck," said Levy.

If you had an iPhone 6 or iPhone 7, but it's long gone because you sold it or traded it in, you might be able to find the serial number on an old contract or phone bill.

Information on how to make a claim will be found on the class action website if the B.C. court approves the settlement.

CTV News reached out to Apple Canada about the proposed settlement but did not receive a response.