iPhone Warranty Repair Lawsuit Settlement Costs Apple $53M

Apple has agreed to a US$53 million settlement in a class action lawsuit that alleged the company failed to properly honor warranty repairs on iPhones. The lawsuit was filed after several iPhone owners were denied warranty repairs when the moisture sensoris in their smartphones were triggered even though they hadn't suffered from any water damage.

Apple settles iPhone water sensor lawsuit for $53 millionApple settles iPhone water sensor lawsuit for $53 million

While Apple has said the small sensor strips shouldn't be triggered by humidity or sudden temperature changes, in some cases it seems that's exactly what happened. As a result, it appeared as if those iPhones had suffered actual water damage when instead the moisture sensor strips had simply collected enough condensation from humid air to cause them to change color.

Gradual temperature changes in more humid environments most likely weren't issues, but when combined with the sudden temperature change that comes with leaving an airconditioned building, that may have been enough to cause the sensors to falsely indicate water damage.

The settlement document, which Apple has signed but not yet filed with the court, lists the first generation iPhone, iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, and the first, second and third generation iPod touch.

The settlement, once approved, could lead to $200 payments to iPhone owners that were denied warranty repairs because of false positives on the built-in moisture sensors.

Apple has not commented on the proposed settlement.

[Thanks to Wired for the heads up]

Some image elements courtesy Shutterstock