UK court allows £3bn iCloud lawsuit against Apple

Key facts

• A UK court has authorized a £3 billion class-action lawsuit against Apple.
• The lawsuit, brought by consumer group Which?, accuses Apple of anti-competitive practices related to its iCloud storage service.
• It is alleged that Apple has locked 40 million UK customers into its service and overcharged them.
• The claim covers the period from November 8, 2018, to June 8, 2026.
• Apple denies the allegations, stating its practices are not anti-competitive.

A UK court has granted permission for a class-action lawsuit against Apple, accusing the technology giant of abusing its dominant market position. Consumer group Which? alleges that Apple has effectively trapped millions of British iPhone and iPad users into its iCloud service, charging them inflated prices for storage and providing less free storage than would otherwise be available. The lawsuit, which covers the period from November 8, 2018, to June 8, 2026, claims that Apple's practices have cost UK consumers millions of pounds. Which? is seeking compensation for these overpayments and aims to force Apple to open up competition in the cloud storage market. Apple has strongly denied the accusations, stating that its iCloud practices are not anti-competitive and that customers are not compelled to use its service. The company asserts that it works to make data transfer easy and that many customers utilize third-party alternatives. If the lawsuit is successful, it could result in a payout of up to £3 billion, with individual customers potentially receiving up to £77. A trial is expected in 2028.