Some Owners of Older iOS Devices Receiving Up to $300 in Liquid Damage Indicator Settlement

Back in April 2013, it was announced that Apple had agreed to a $53 million settlement in a class action lawsuit involving iPhone and iPod touch units that may have been improperly denied warranty coverage due to liquid damage indicators having been triggered in the devices.

The settlement, which covers iPhones denied warranty coverage on or before December 31, 2009 and iPod touches denied coverage on or before June 30, 2010, stems from Apple's use of triggered liquid damage indicators as sufficient reason for denying warranty coverage. Given the timeframe for the issue, the settlement is limited to iPhone 3GS and earlier and third-generation iPod touch and earlier models.

With the indicators' manufacturer, 3M, acknowledging the indicators could be at least partially triggered by humidity and not necessarily direct liquid contact, some owners pursued a case against Apple for improperly denying warranty coverage. Apple did later adjust its procedures to require additional visual inspection for liquid damage on devices where the indicators had been triggered, but for those who had already paid out of pocket to replace their devices, the case continued.

water_damage_settlement_check
As outlined on the settlement home page, administrators finally began sending out settlement checks to eligible claimants last week, and a number of MacRumors readers have reported receiving their checks over the past few days.

Owners of several different iPhone models have reported receiving checks for $251.55, with some reporting amounts as high as $300 while others have received smaller amounts for affected iPod touch units. Users receiving checks have until January 21 to cash or deposit them.

Top Rated Comments

ThunderSkunk Avatar
124 months ago
Free money. Jose is one happy camper.
Is it still "free money" when it's your own money you had to spend first?

It's like saying a tax return is free money.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sososowhat Avatar
124 months ago
I got $251.55

I honestly don't even remember having a liquid damage claim, so needless to say I was a bit surprised to get a check.

Caution: the check arrives in a very generic looking envelope. I nearly threw it away without even opening it!
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mikemch16 Avatar
124 months ago
I got this exact check in the mail. Time to go get a new iPhone :)
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MartinAppleGuy Avatar
124 months ago
Should have been coupons for buying a new iPhone :P
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Anonymous Freak Avatar
124 months ago
This settlement is insane. I thought the lawyers always took 99% of the money and people are always lucky to get more than a $10 check.

Normally, the class action settlement that most people are familiar with are huge settlements. Involving millions of claimants, over relatively small amounts of money. (I overpaid for this toaster due to price fixing - here's 35 cents.) And while the lawyers receive a lot of money, they don't usually receive "most" of it.

An iPhone costs $200, and people are getting checks for over $200???

An iPhone does not cost $200. The cheapest iPhone is $450. It's just that mobile phone providers in the US generally subsidize the cost of the phone in to their monthly plans to make the "down payment" cheaper.

Saying an iPhone is $200 is like saying a new car is free because you don't have to pay any money on the day you sign the paperwork. Or that a new house is $20,000 because that's what your down payment was.

People are getting large checks because they lost the use of their phone because Apple improperly denied a warranty claim. Because the person had to pay money to replace a phone that should have been replaced for free. In some cases, this cost was more than $200, because they either had to pay the [i]full[/] price of the phone to replace it, or had to pay an early termination fee with their carrier to get a subsidized-price phone.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
vsuri Avatar
124 months ago
as did i. remember to file this with IRS come tax time..........

Unless you deducted the cost of your iPhone / iPod Touch as a business expense, this is not something that needs to be added to your income.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

reset password request iphone

Warning: Apple Users Targeted in Phishing Attack Involving Rapid Password Reset Requests

Tuesday March 26, 2024 4:34 pm PDT by
Phishing attacks taking advantage of Apple's password reset feature have become increasingly common, according to a report from KrebsOnSecurity. Multiple Apple users have been targeted in an attack that bombards them with an endless stream of notifications or multi-factor authentication (MFA) messages in an attempt to cause panic so they'll respond favorably to social engineering. An...
Generic iOS 18 Feature Purple

iOS 18: What to Expect From 'Biggest' Update in iPhone's History

Wednesday March 27, 2024 11:10 am PDT by
At least some Apple software engineers continue to believe that iOS 18 will be the "biggest" update in the iPhone's history, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Below, we recap rumored features and changes for the iPhone. "The iOS 18 update is expected to be the most ambitious overhaul of the iPhone's software in its history, according to people working on the upgrade," wrote Gurman, in a r...
maxresdefault

Apple to Launch New iPad Pro and iPad Air Models in May

Thursday March 28, 2024 11:07 am PDT by
Apple will introduce new iPad Pro and iPad Air models in early May, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Gurman previously suggested the new iPads would come out in March, and then April, but the timeline has been pushed back once again. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Apple is working on updates to both the iPad Pro and iPad Air models. The iPad Pro models will...
maxresdefault

Apple Announces WWDC 2024 Event for June 10 to 14

Tuesday March 26, 2024 10:02 am PDT by
Apple today announced that its 35th annual Worldwide Developers Conference is set to take place from Monday, June 10 to Friday, June 14. As with WWDC events since 2020, WWDC 2024 will be an online event that is open to all developers at no cost. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. WWDC 2024 will include online sessions and labs so that developers can learn about new...
apple maps 3d feature

Apple Maps May Gain Custom Routes With iOS 18

Tuesday March 26, 2024 3:10 pm PDT by
Apple may be planning to add support for "custom routes" in Apple Maps in iOS 18, according to code reviewed by MacRumors. Apple Maps does not currently offer a way to input self-selected routes, with Maps users limited to Apple's pre-selected options, but that may change in iOS 18. Apple has pushed an iOS 18 file to its maps backend labeled "CustomRouteCreation." While not much is revealed...
General iOS 17 Feature Orange Purple

Apple Releases Revised Versions of iOS 17.4.1 and iPadOS 17.4.1 With Updated Build Number

Wednesday March 27, 2024 5:59 am PDT by
Apple on late Tuesday released revised versions of iOS 17.4.1 and iPadOS 17.4.1 with an updated build number of 21E237, according to MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris. The updates previously had a build number of 21E236. The revised updates are available for all iPhone and iPad models that are compatible with iOS 17 and iPadOS 17, but they can only be installed via the Finder app on macOS...
applephilschiller

Apple's Phil Schiller Works 80 Hours a Week Overseeing App Store

Wednesday March 27, 2024 2:03 pm PDT by
With the App Store and app ecosystem undergoing major changes in the European Union, The Wall Street Journal today shared a profile on App Store chief Phil Schiller, who is responsible for the App Store. Though Schiller transitioned from marketing chief to "Apple Fellow" in 2020 to take a step back from Apple and spend more time on personal projects and friends, he is reportedly working...