Apple Hit by Class Action Lawsuits for Slowing Phones

Apple is now dealing with the recourse stemming from a self-inflicted wound as several class action lawsuits have been filed against the tech giant following an admission that it purposely slows iPhones as they age.

Stefan Bogdanovich and Dakota Speas from Los Angeles filed the first lawsuit with the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California accusing Apple of interfering with their devices without consent.

While a second lawsuit, filed by five plaintiffs in the Northern District of the State of Illinois, accused Apple of deliberately keeping power management features a secret in an effort to persuade customers to upgrade to newer devices.

The suit being brought by Bogdanovich and Speas reads that, "Plaintiffs and Class Members never consented to allow Defendants to slow their iPhones. As a result of Defendant's wrongful actions, Plaintiffs and Class Members had their phone slowed down, and thereby it interfered with Plaintiffs' and Class Members' use or possession of their iPhones."

While the second is lined as, "Apple's iOS updates purposefully neglected to explain that its purposeful throttling down of older model devices and resulting lost or diminished operating performance could be remedied by replacing the batteries of these devices. Instead, Apple's decision to purposefully slowdown or throttle down these devices was undertaken to fraudulently induce consumers to purchase the latest iPhone versions of the iPhone 7, as well as new phones such as the iPhone 8 and iPhone X."

Apple sent a statement to MailOnline explaining its stance on the situation.

"Lithium-ion batteries become less capable of supplying peak current demands when in cold conditions, have a low battery charge or as they age over time, which can result in the device unexpectedly shutting down to protect its electronic components.

Last year we released a feature for iPhone 6, iPhone 6s and iPhone SE to smooth out the instantaneous peaks only when needed to prevent the device from unexpectedly shutting down during these conditions.

We've now extended that feature to iPhone 7 with iOS 11.2, and plan to add support for other products in the future."

The initial statement said that the age of the phone doesn't determine the speed, but rather the age of the battery does.

The message was met with mixed reviews, but was largely viewed as as confirmation for the internet masses believing that the company annualized its product.

"Our goal is to deliver the best experience for customers, which includes overall performance and prolonging the life of their devices. Lithium-ion batteries become less capable of supplying peak current demands when in cold conditions, have a low battery charge or as they age over time, which can result in the device unexpectedly shutting down to protect its electronic components.

Last year we released a feature for iPhone 6, iPhone 6s and iPhone SE to smooth out the instantaneous peaks only when needed to prevent the device from unexpectedly shutting down during these conditions. We've now extended that feature to iPhone 7 with iOS 11.2, and plan to add support for other products in the future."

For those interested in joining a lawsuit, there are multiple steps that could come in to play. It is best to consult ClassAction.org or other reputable sources.