What you need to know
- A class action relating to iPhone 7 audio failures will go ahead.
- Plaintiffs claim Apple breached warranties.
- The judge did side with Apple in some cases.
A class action lawsuit relating to several failed iPhone 7 audio chips will go ahead after the judge refused to dismiss it. He did, however, agree with Apple in some instances, throwing out some claims in the process.
US district judge Jon Tigar agreed with Apple on some claims but denied its motion to dismiss claims of breach of warranty under California law, violations of the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, and unjust enrichment in the form of an alternative remedy. The lawsuit was originally filed in May 2019.
As MacRumors points out, this all relates to a period where we saw a number of iPhone 7 handsets begin to exhibit an issue which meant some people couldn't be heard during calls. Others noticed that the speakerphone icon was greyed out when making calls, too. It ultimately boiled down to a failed audio chip with Apple acknowledging the issue in an internal memo.
The document stated that service providers should request a "warranty exception" which in turn meant the customer would get a free repair. But that policy ended mid-way through 2018, leaving many out of luck.
The lawsuit now seeks damages "likely in the millions of dollars," with the proceeds to be shared between those affected.
If you're on the lookout for some bedtime reading, you can check the whole motion to dismiss out on Scribd.
