Apple has agreed to pay $20 million to California consumers to resolve class action claims that their iPhone 4, 4S, and 5 smartphones were equipped with defective power buttons.

The settlement will benefit California residents who purchased iPhone 4 smartphones between June 24, 2010 and Oct. 10, 2011 or iPhone 4S smartphones between Oct. 11, 2011 and Sept. 20, 2012 whose power button stopped working or worked intermittently within the year after purchasing.

Also included in the settlement are California citizens who purchased an iPhone 5 before April 1, 2013 who had power button struggles within three years of purchasing.

Consumers are not included in the settlement if they had their iPhone repaired or replaced by Apple for free due to a defective power button.

Plaintiffs Anthony Shamrell and Daryl Rysdyk filed their fourth amended complaint in January 2015, claiming that Apple sold iPhone 4, 4S, and 5 smartphones with defective power buttons.







According to the iPhone class action, the power buttons on certain iPhones stop working completely or work only upon occasion. This allegedly causes consumers difficulty when trying to use their phones.

The court certified the two Classes in January 2019 following appeals and other litigation. Following this certification, Apple reportedly entered into settlement negotiations with the plaintiffs. Eventually, the company agreed to pay $20 million to resolve the claims against them.

The settlement will entitle consumers to up to $24 per claimed device. Claims will reportedly be validated based on Apple’s records of consumers who reported an issue with their power button but did not have it repaired or replaced by the company.

In order to benefit from the settlement, Class Members need to file a valid Claim Form by March 23, 2020. The deadline for exclusion is Jan. 4, 2020. The deadline for objection is Dec. 31, 2019. The final approval hearing for the settlement is scheduled for March 20, 2020.