Apple Settles Lawsuit Over Subscription-Share Program
Subscribers to Apple Music and other services may be eligible to claim part of a $25 million settlement over the company's subscription-share program.
The settlement resolves a lawsuit over Apple's Family Sharing perk, a free service that allows up to six users to access a handful of pay-per-month apps — including Apple News+, Music, TV+, Arcade and Apple Card — under one shared subscription.
According to the complaint, Apple ran "deceptive" advertisements for Family Sharing alongside "virtually all" of the App Store's subscription-based apps despite most of them not supporting sharing through the service. As a result, millions of customers were misled into buying subscriptions through third-party apps "that they would not otherwise have purchased," lawyers alleged in the lawsuit.
Apple has denied any wrongdoing under the settlement and that it misled customers.
U.S. customers who had a Family Sharing plan and bought a subscription to a third-party app between June 21, 2015, and January 30, 2019, can file a claim under the settlement.
Claiming Money under the Apple Settlement
If you used Apple Family Sharing and are eligible under the settlement, you can file a claim to receive a payout through the website. To file your claim, visit the website if you have an identification number and PIN. If you don't have those, you must download, fill in, and mail in the payment election form from the case's website.
According to the settlement site, the filing deadline is March 1, 2024. Claimants who file after the deadline will not receive compensation.
Payout Amount
Under the settlement, eligible class members can expect to receive "up to $30," as mentioned in the "Frequently Asked Questions" section of the claims site.
Payment Method
If you are eligible for a payout, you can choose between two payment methods: an ACH transfer (electronic payment) or a check, according to the settlement site.
You must indicate your payment preference by the filing deadline or risk forfeiting your portion of the settlement.
Eligibility
Eligible customers will receive an email with information about the settlement, as reported by The Verge. You are eligible if you purchased a subscription through a third-party app while being part of a Family Sharing plan with at least one other person between June 21, 2015, and January 30, 2019.
If you meet the eligibility requirements but haven't received a notice, you can still file a claim using the form on the settlement website and mail it in.
Opting Out of the Class Action Settlement: Who Should Consider It?
If you are planning to file a separate lawsuit against Apple regarding any claims related to the ongoing class-action suit, you may want to consider opting out. To exercise this option, you will need to send a letter to the case's administrator. The letter should include your contact information, signature, and a statement expressing your decision to opt out of the settlement.
Alternatively, you can also complete an opt-out request form from the settlement website, print it out, and mail it to the provided address.
The opt-out request must be sent to the following address: Peters v. Apple Class Action Settlement Administrator, P.O. Box 301134, Los Angeles, CA 90030-1134. Please ensure that your request is postmarked no later than March 1, 2024.
