UK iCloud Lawsuit
Tim Hardwick (2024):
[British consumer group] Which? alleges that the company makes it difficult for customers to use alternative cloud storage providers “by giving its iCloud storage service preferential treatment,” and “‘trapping’ customers with Apple devices into using iCloud.”
The consumer group filed the legal action with the Competition Appeal Tribunal, and said it was seeking damages for 40 million Apple users in the UK. If successful, the lawsuit could result in a £70 payout per customer. According to the Consumer Rights Act 2015, all those eligible are automatically included in the claim unless they choose to opt out.
Which? said it was urging Apple “to resolve this claim without the need for litigation by offering consumers their money back and opening up iOS to allow users a real choice for cloud services.”
Part of Apple’s defense is that almost 50% of customers don’t pay for iCloud+, which probably means that their photos and other data aren’t backed up. iOS doesn’t support backing up to other cloud services, and local backups now have added friction.
Apple told the Competition Appeal Tribunal that Which had not provided enough clarity about its third-party funder, Litigation Capital Management (LCM), which is paying for the legal action. LCM recently suffered a severe financial decline, losing 99% of its share value from its November 2024 level, leaving it worth about $16 million. Apple argued that this collapse raised questions about whether LCM could still support the lawsuit.
It also said that if it were allowed to pursue an appeal later in the process or if Which’s funding is withdrawn, Apple could face a significant risk of not being able to recover its legal costs because LCM might not be able to pay them.
Previously:
- UK: Commission Lawsuit Ruling and Strategic Market Status
- Parachute Backup 1.4.7
- iCloud Backups Lawsuit
- Apple Appeals UK CMA Decision
- Local iOS Backups Repeatedly Prompt for Passcode
- Local iOS Backups Without a Mac
- There’s No iOS Backup Feature
