In a recent development, tech giant Apple has agreed to a settlement of $25 million in a class action lawsuit regarding its Family Sharing feature. This feature allows users and up to five family members to share access to purchased apps, music, movies, TV shows, and books.
The lawsuit was initiated in 2019, with the allegation that “Apple misrepresented the ability to use its Family Sharing feature to share subscriptions to apps.” The news of the settlement was first reported by MacRumors.
The court documents reveal that Apple denies making any misleading statements and denies all allegations of wrongdoing. The company has entered into the agreement without acknowledging any fault, liability, or wrongdoing of any kind. Apple did not provide any comments on the matter to TechCrunch.
The vast majority of subscription-based apps, which is a growing percentage of Apple apps, cannot be shared with designated family members.
The court documents also state that Apple advertised the Family Sharing feature as an option on apps that did not actually support it. “The vast majority of subscription-based apps, which is a growing percentage of Apple apps, cannot be shared with designated family members,” reads the court document. This is a significant issue as millions of consumers have downloaded subscription-based apps, only to realize they are not available for Family Sharing after making the payment.
The lawsuit alleges that Apple was aware of this issue but still advertised Family Sharing on these apps. “All or virtually all of these apps, however, included the statement that they support Family Sharing on their landing pages through January 30, 2019,” states the court document.
If you are a US resident and were enrolled in a Family Sharing group with at least one other person between June 21, 2015, and January 30, 2019, and purchased a subscription to an app from the App Store during that time, you may be eligible for a payment. Eligible class members will receive an email this week.
- Each class member can file a claim and receive a payment of $30, but this amount may vary depending on the number of claims filed.
- However, the payment cannot exceed $50 per class member.
- $10 million from the settlement will be allocated towards attorney fees.
Eligible class members have until March 1, 2024, to file a claim. A final approval hearing is scheduled for April 2, 2024. This settlement will provide some relief to affected consumers and bring an end to the ongoing legal battle between Apple and the plaintiffs.
