Apple has agreed to a $25 million settlement in a class action lawsuit related to its Family Sharing feature. The feature allows users and up to five family members to share access to purchased apps, music, movies, TV shows, and books. The lawsuit, initiated in 2019, claimed that Apple misrepresented the functionality of Family Sharing, particularly in relation to app subscriptions.
The lawsuit asserted that Apple falsely advertised Family Sharing as an option for apps that did not support the feature, especially subscription-based apps. According to court documents, the majority of these subscription-based apps did not actually support Family Sharing. The lawsuit argued that Apple was aware of this discrepancy but continued to display ads for Family Sharing on these apps.
In response to the settlement, Apple maintained its denial of any misleading actions, fault, liability, or wrongdoing. The company stated that it entered into the agreement without acknowledging any wrongdoing but concluded that continuing to defend the action would be burdensome and costly.
The court documents highlighted that millions of consumers downloaded subscription-based apps, believing they were eligible for Family Sharing, only to discover after making payments that these apps did not support the feature.
Under the settlement terms, U.S. residents enrolled in a Family Sharing group with at least one other person between June 21, 2015, and January 30, 2019, and who purchased a subscription to an app from the App Store during that period may be eligible for a payment. Eligible class members will receive notification emails, and each filing claimant is entitled to receive $30, with the total amount varying based on the number of claims. However, individual payments will not exceed $50, and $10 million from the settlement will be allocated for attorney fees.
Eligible class members have until March 1, 2024, to file a claim, and a final approval hearing for the settlement is scheduled for April 2, 2024.
