There’s nothing surprising about a large company getting sued for patent infringement or other similar issues, but class-action lawsuits are usually about customers being wronged, which is a lot more serious in my view. Recent sources indicate that tech giant Apple is currently facing a $5m class-action lawsuit over a new feature implemented in iOS 9, which switches over to mobile data when it detects that Wi-Fi connectivity is weak. The feature is called “Wi-Fi Assist,” and it seems to be the main culprit behind a series of large mobile-data usage bills received by users. According to AppleInsider, the lawsuit in question is being filed by William and Suzanne Phillips from California, who argue that the feature’s damages go beyond $5m.
Even though Apple has updated its website in order to inform users that they “may use more cellular data” than usual because of Wi-Fi Assist, the couple believes that a mere warning is not enough. Apple is now being charged with breaching California’s Unfair Competition Law and False Advertising Law and with negligent misrepresentation, and we’ll just have to wait and see how the lawsuit evolves from here on out. It’s interesting to point out that other companies such as Samsung and HTC have implemented similar features into their own devices but are not facing any repercussions, at least not yet.
When Samsung and HTC came out with those features, were they automatically turned on without the user’s knowledge? Unless people researched it before the update, most people weren’t aware that Apple devices automatically turned that feature on after the update. I am glad I always read the patch notes before updates, but I know that most people don’t and they should be compensated for Apple’s shady actions.
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