UK Competition Tribunal clears Which? iCloud pricing class action against Apple for trial in 2028

$4B iCloud class action suit gets OK to proceed to U.K. court

Macworld If you’ve used iCloud in the past five years while living in the U.K., you could be in line for a future payout. A £3bn (roughly $4bn) class-action lawsuit against Apple has been given the go-ahead to proceed to trial. “[We believe] that Apple has breached U.K. competition law by failing to provide a choice of cloud storage providers, and steering customers towards its iCloud service by not clearly informing them of alternatives and how those could be used on an iOS device,” the advocacy group Which? argues in its announcement of the news. The group filed the claim in November 2024, accusing Apple of effectively locking consumers into the iCloud service by denying rival storage services full access to its products, and then charging excessive prices for iCloud’s paid tiers. “By bringing this claim, Which? is showing big corporations like Apple that they cannot rip off U.K. consumers without facing repercussions,” the group’s chief executive, Anabel Hoult, said in a statement at the time. Which? urged Apple to resolve the claim outside of court by giving consumers their money back and opening up competition to storage rivals. But the company insisted it “[rejected] any suggestion that our iCloud practices are anti-competitive” and would “vigorously defend against any legal claim otherwise.” The case now appears to be headed to trial, following the granting of a Collective Proceedings Order (CPO) this week, although Apple still has plenty of time to appeal or reach a settlement. It’s not expected to be heard until October 2028. If you can wait that long, a payout may be headed your way. To qualify for inclusion in the lawsuit, you need to meet two main criteria: You “obtained iCloud services” on an iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch at some point between November 2018 and June 2026. You lived in the U.K. at some point between November 2018 and June 2026. There are some further criteria and exclusions, but that’s the gist of it. If you meet the criteria and were a U.K. resident on June 8 of this year, you’ll be included in the claim by default and don’t need to opt in. If for whatever reason you don’t want to be included, you’ll need to contact Which? by 8 October and opt out, but then you won’t be entitled to a share of any compensation. If you meet the criteria but weren’t a U.K. resident on June 8 (in other words, you lived in the UK at some point after November 2018, but later moved away) you will need to opt in to be included. Again, get in touch with Which? by October 8. The easiest way to contact the relevant people is to use the CloudClaim website. You can read more details about eligibility on the site’s FAQ page. Which? estimates that roughly 40 million consumers will be included in the lawsuit, and that Apple could be on the hook for £77 per person if Apple is ordered to pay the full amount. But it’s likely the final settlement will be much lower than that after court proceedings and legal fees. This isn’t the first class-action lawsuit related to Apple’s iCloud services. Back in 2022, the company agreed to a $14.8M settlement for “breach of contract regarding the iCloud Service that Apple provides to its users.” That case only applied to U.S. residents.

15 hours ago

UK's $4.1 billion iCloud suit won't be heard until late 2028

It's not new news that the long-running UK class action suit against Apple's iCloud pricing could see users paid $95, but what is, is that it will be October 2028 before the case begins.All UK iCloud users could get a payout of around $95 after October 2028, if Apple is proved to have overcharged for the service.The UK's Which? consumer group first filed its complaint over iCloud charges back in November 2024. According to the group, Apple locked "millions of consumers into its iCloud service at rip-off prices."It's not clear why other media outlets including the BBC are now reporting that the group has now won a ruling from the UK's Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT). As revealed by Which? itself, the ruling allowing a trial to proceed was made in May 2026. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

17 hours ago

Apple's £3 Billion UK iCloud Case Cleared for Trial

A class action lawsuit accusing Apple of overcharging U.K. iCloud users has been certified to go ahead, putting the £3 billion ($3.9 billion) claim on track for a trial in October 2028. According to BBC News, the Competition Appeal Tribunal cleared consumer group Which? to bring the case on behalf of an estimated 40 million U.K. iPhone and iPad owners, each of whom could receive up to £77 if the claim succeeds. Which? alleges that Apple has locked customers into iCloud since 2015 by limiting how rival cloud services work on its devices, and then charged inflated subscription prices as a result. Apple gives users 5GB of free storage and pushes them toward paid tiers once that fills up, with U.K. pricing running from 99p a month for 50GB to £54.99 a month for 12TB. The consumer group filed its claim against Apple at the tribunal on behalf of affected consumers in November 2024. Anabel Hoult, Which?'s chief executive, said the group wanted to make clear that no company "no matter how powerful, can get away with abusing its position." She said the green light from the tribunal meant Which? was "one step closer to getting consumers the redress we believe they are owed from Apple." "This should send a strong message to any other companies using anti-competitive tactics," she added. Apple has called the claims unfounded, and argues that no customer is required to use iCloud and that alternatives exist. The company said it strongly disagrees with the tribunal's decision and plans to appeal. Eligibility covers anyone who used iCloud on a U.K. device between November 8, 2018 and June 8, 2026. Those living in the U.K. on June 8 are included automatically unless they opt out by October 8, while non-U.K. residents from that date must opt in by the same deadline. Customers who first used iCloud after June 8, 2026 are excluded. (Thanks, Alan!)Tags: iCloud, Apple Lawsuits, United KingdomRelated Forum: Apple Music, Apple Pay/Card, iCloud, Fitness+This article, "Apple's £3 Billion UK iCloud Case Cleared for Trial" first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums

21 hours ago