Ever subscribe to iCloud? Apple and your Uncle Tim might owe you part of a $14.8 million settlement
All Apple device owners get 5GB of iCloud storage for free. But for many individuals, that is not enough and for just 99 cents a month, you can own 50GB of storage. For $2.99 per month that increases to 200GB of iCloud storage, and for $9.99 monthly, you'll own 2TB of iCloud storage that Apple calls "Storage for a lifetime of photos and videos."
If you subscribed to iCloud from September 16, 2015, to January 31, 2016, Apple might owe you some money
According to Macworld, Apple device owners (including iPhone and iPad buyers) who purchased extra iCloud storage could be due a check from Apple as part of a $14.8 million settlement made by Apple to close a class-action lawsuit that charged the company with "breach of contract regarding the iCloud Service that Apple provides to its users." Apple failed to adhere to its own terms and conditions regarding iCloud user data by storing some of this personal info on third-party servers instead of Apple's own servers.
If you subscribed to iCloud from from September 16, 2015, to January 31, 2016, Uncle Tim might be sending you some money
Before you start pricing yachts or reserving a Tesla, a large number of iCloud subscribers will be splitting the $14.8 million and the lawyers get their nice juicy cut. That is how class-action suits work; the only people involved in the lawsuit making any kind of money are the attorneys for both sides. The amount of money you receive will be based on the subscription that you signed up for and the number of people who are in the settlement pool.
Or, as the settlement notes, each member of the class will "receive a pro rata distribution of the Settlement based on the overall payments made by each Class Member for his or her iCloud subscription during the Class Period." The iCloud subscribers included in the settlement shelled out for a subscription from September 16, 2015, to January 31, 2016. If the email address that you used to sign up for the additional iCloud storage is still active, you should get a notification alerting you that you are, indeed, a member of the class.
During the aforementioned time period, iCloud subscription prices were 99 cents for 50GB, $3.99 for 200GB, and $9.99 for 2TB. A final hearing to approve the settlement will be heard on August 4th. Despite settling the case, Apple "maintains that it did nothing wrong and denies that it breached the iCloud Terms and Conditions with any user."
Members of the class can elect to handle matters themselves by opting out of the settlement before May 23rd
Those eligible to be in the class can decide until May 23rd whether to take a different course of action according to a website created specifically for this lawsuit. How do you receive a payment if one is due to you? According to the website, "If, at the time the Class Payment is distributed, you are a subscriber to any kind of monthly paid iCloud plan, and you have a U.S. mailing address associated with your plan, you will automatically receive the Class Payment to the Apple account that pays for your current monthly iCloud subscription."
The website adds that "If, at the time the Class Payment is distributed, you are no longer a subscriber to any kind of monthly paid iCloud plan, or you do not have a U.S. mailing address associated with your plan, you will receive the Class Payment by check at the mailing address associated with your account." Note that once you agree to remain a class member (by not notifying the Court by May 23rd), you can no longer sue Apple over this issue.
The website adds that "If, at the time the Class Payment is distributed, you are no longer a subscriber to any kind of monthly paid iCloud plan, or you do not have a U.S. mailing address associated with your plan, you will receive the Class Payment by check at the mailing address associated with your account." Note that once you agree to remain a class member (by not notifying the Court by May 23rd), you can no longer sue Apple over this issue.
If you are not happy with the settlement, you can send a letter to the Court giving the reasons for your objection. If you object to the settlement and it is approved by the Court, you can still receive a payment.
The lawsuit is known as Williams V. Apple Inc. It is Case No. 19-cv-04700-LB at the United States District Court for the Northern District of California.
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