Own An Apple Watch? You May Get Some Money Back Thanks To This Class-Action Lawsuit

In 2019, a class-action lawsuit was filed against Apple over swollen smartwatch batteries, which also resulted in damaged screens and other hardware woes. Well, the plaintiffs and Apple have finally reached a settlement worth $20 million. Members of the class action who faced the wrath of malfunctioning batteries are now entitled to a payout between $20-$50. Apple says all the smartwatch models covered in the lawsuit are no longer on sale, while also shaking off the allegations of hardware woes. 

According to reporting, Apple knew about the issues, at least to some degree. As of 2018, the company was offering free repairs for Apple Watch Series 2 models afflicted by battery issues. As far as the class action settlement goes, the models covered are Apple Watch Series 1, Series 2, and Series 3. "While we strongly disagree with the claims made against these early generation Apple Watch models, we agreed to settle to avoid further litigation," the company told CNET.

Individual payments won't be doled out universally, and an eligible person can choose to forego the payout. By accepting the funds from the class action settlement, you're forgoing your right to bring legal action against Apple again when it comes to the battery bloat problem in Apple Watches.

The class members entitled to receive a minimum payout worth $20 are those "issues reported to Apple regarding the Covered Watches reflected in Apple's records as having reported symptoms potentially associated with battery swell," according to the suit (PDF). In a nutshell, those who purchased any of the eligible smartwatch models (Apple Watch Series 1, 2, and 3) or that appear in Apple's database as a user don't need to submit a claim. They will automatically receive the payment via a check and/or direct account deposit.

Folks seeking to join the class action settlement to get the stipulated amount need to file their claim on the Watch Settlement dashboard or send a filled-in form to the Settlement administrator. Eligible Apple Watch owners will have until April 10, 2025, to submit their claim.

The class action payment can go up to $50. That will only happen when the "Net Settlement Fund minus the sum of all Class Payments will exceed $50,00," as per the court filing. In that case, every eligible class action member will get a payout of up to $50 or less per individual.