Apple has begun making payments to customers who were affected by company 'deliberately slowing down iPhones'

Apple has started paying iPhone users who've accused it of deliberately slowing down certain devices.

You may be going into January 2024 feeling poor and clutching on for dear life until pay day at the end of the month, but at least you're not having to cough up millions in cash to start off the year like Apple is.

Back in 2017, some iPhone users in the United States began noticing their device's performance had slowed down after they installed the latest software - iOS 10.2.1 and 11.2.0 - updates.

Apple later released a statement which read: "Our goal is to deliver the best experience for customers, which includes overall performance and prolonging the life of their devices.

"Lithium-ion batteries become less capable of supplying peak current demands when in cold conditions, have a low battery charge or as they age over time, which can result in the device unexpectedly shutting down to protect its electronic components.

"Last year we released a feature for iPhone 6, iPhone 6s and iPhone SE to smooth out the instantaneous peaks only when needed to prevent the device from unexpectedly shutting down during these conditions.

"We’ve now extended that feature to iPhone 7 with iOS 11.2, and plan to add support for other products in the future."

Apple alos said the battery might spontaneously shut down if it could not supply the current needed.

However, as a result of Apple not being explaining the change when it first implemented it, many iPhone users clubbed together - a hefty three million to be exact - and filed claims in a class action lawsuit against the technology company, accusing it of deliberately slowing down older models of the phones with the new iOS update.

And now Apple are coughing up the cash which was agreed in a settlement back in 2020.

While maintaining that they did nothing deliberately wrong nor illegal, the settlement saw Apple agree to pay $310-500 million to the iPhone users affected to 'avoid burdensome and costly litigation'.

And that sum has since been confirmed as $500 million - with each person slowly receiving a lot more than the $25 originally predicted, BBC reports.

Two MacRumors readers among those listed as eligible for compensation have reported being sent $92.17 each, according to the outlet.

If you were a US resident who owned an affected iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, and/or iPhone SE that ran iOS 10.2.1 or later, and/or an iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus that ran iOS 11.2 or later, before December 21, 2017 and you submitted a claim by October 2020, then you would also be in with a chance of getting some cash through.

And iPhone users in the UK haven't been forgotten about either - with a similar case underway as another lawsuit is seeking £1.6 billion in compensation.