You could be owed a £70 windfall from Apple.
That generous payout depends on the result of a £3 billion class action claim filed against the iPhone manufacturer by consumer group Which?
Acting on behalf of roughly 40 million iPhone and iPad owners living in the UK, Which? has accused Apple of breaching competition law by failing to provide a choice of cloud storage providers. In a written statement, Which? Chief Exec. Anabel Hoult branded iCloud as a "rip off".
iCloud is built into iPhone, iPad, and macOS and used to back-up user settings, photos, videos, documents, and more
APPLE PRESS OFFICE
Which? has accused the Californian company of forcing iPhone and iPad owners to rely on its iCloud service, while making it tougher to switch to an alternative cloud storage subscription.
While it's true that anyone who signs-up for an Apple Account will be gifted 5GB of cloud storage via iCloud, it's not mandatory to use this offsite back-up solution.
Which? argues that Apple unfairly ties its users to iCloud because certain data can only be stored using Apple's backup service.
Apple offers 5GB of iCloud storage free of charge for all users, with monthly fees starting from 99p for an additional 50GB of storage, rising to £2.99 for 200GB, and £8.99 for 2TB. For comparison, those prices aren't wildly different to what you'll find with other providers — while Google offers a more generous 15GB for free to all users, its first paid tier is a pricier £1.59 for 100GB, rising to £2.49 for 200GB.
Meanwhile, Microsoft charges £1.99 for 100GB of cloud storage via its Microsoft 365 Basic plan, and the privacy-focused Proton Drive will cost £4.09 for 200GB, rising to £16.29 for 1TB. DropBox charges £9.99 a month for its 2TB plan.
Going through the setup process for a new iPhone or iPad, there's an easy shortcut to restore user settings, photos, and apps from iCloud
APPLE PRESS OFFICE
iCloud can be used to back-up your photos, videos, notes, email, device settings, and much more. If your iPhone or iPad breaks, is stolen, or you upgrade to a newer model, Apple lets you use an iCloud back-up to restore everything with the touch of a button.
While it's possible to back up much of the same data to rival cloud storage systems, like Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, and DropBox, the same instant restore isn't available. Apple does offer alternative options for those who don't want to use cloud-based solutions, including the ability to back up an iPhone or iPad with a Windows device or back up their photos and videos to an external storage device.
Suppose you're currently paying for one of these solutions and want to switch to an alternative. In that case, as a member of the Data Transfer Project, Apple makes it possible to transfer iCloud Photos to Google Photos, and vice versa in an automated process.
In a press release discussing the reason for the mass lawsuit, Which? writes: "The convenience of being ‘locked-in’ to this service over time could come at a significant cost - in terms of price, quality and choice.
"With Apple being such a dominant player in the phone and tablet market, this behaviour also creates a barrier for any new cloud service providers. With the ever-increasing volume of data that mobile and tablet users generate, consumers should be able to access competitive cloud storage alternatives on their devices."
Which? is urging Apple to resolve the claim without the need for litigation.
It has suggested that Apple — worth in excess of $3.69 trillion — offer a refund to iCloud subscribers, then open up its iOS and iPadOS operating system to allow device owners more choice when backing up and restoring personal data.
The next step will be for Which? to seek permission from the Competition Appeal Tribunal to act as class representative for the collective action. UK customers who have used iCloud services since October 2015 will automatically be included in the mass lawsuit, unless you explicitly opt-out. Those interested in learning more about the claim or checking their eligibility can visit cloudclaim.co.uk.
iCloud is designed to back-up your photos, videos, notes, email, device settings, and more to Apple's own servers. Data can be retrieved and downloaded to the same device — or a new one — at any time
GETTY IMAGESSpeaking about the decision to launch a lawsuit against Apple to TechCrunch, Which? Chief Executive Anabel Hoult said: "By bringing this claim, Which? is showing big corporations like Apple that they cannot rip off UK consumers without facing repercussions.
"Taking this legal action means we can help consumers to get the redress that they are owed, deter similar behaviour in the future and create a better, more competitive market."
If Apple doesn’t settle out of court, the next stage will hinge on whether the Competition Appeal Tribunal grants permission for Which? to act as a class representative for iPhone and iPad owners.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
A spokesperson for Apple said: "Apple believes in providing our customers with choices. Our users are not required to use iCloud, and many rely on a wide range of third-party alternatives for data storage. In addition, we work hard to make data transfer as easy as possible — whether its to iCloud or another service.
"We reject any suggestion that our iCloud practices are anticompetitive and will vigorously defend against any legal claim otherwise."
