Some iPhone users eligible for $349 in lawsuit settlement payout over audio issues

By Samantha Murphy Kelly, CNN

(CNN) — Some iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus owners may be eligible for a payout as part of a $35 million settlement.

iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus users who experienced issues related to the audio chip could receive up to $349 in compensation as part of a 2019 lawsuit filed in the US District Court for the Northern District of California.

Users must have owned those models between September 16, 2016, and January 3, 2023, and either complained to Apple regarding an issue, such as FaceTime, the loudspeaker, Siri or the voice memo app not working or paid for a related repair.

Apple denied the devices had these issues and all allegations of wrongdoing, according to the Settlement Administration website. Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The issue stemmed from the audio chip, which manages how sound comes out of the speakers or through headphones. In September 2016, Apple ditched its headphone jack on the iPhone 7 models to make way for better sound quality, a thinner design and superior water resistance.

Eligible users might receive an email or postcard in the mail about the settlement. The deadline to file a claim on the site ends June 3. The final approval hearing will be held on July 18.

This isn’t the first lawsuit payout for the iPhone 7 models. Apple customers who purchased the iPhone 6, 6 Plus, 6s, 6s Plus, 7, 7 Plus or the SE before December 21, 2017, were eligible for $25 as part of the company’s settlement of a $500 million class action lawsuit that accused it of slowing down older devices with system upgrades, which in turn forced users to upgrade to the latest iPhone model.

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