Apple Hit With Class Motion Lawsuit Over iCloud Backups

Apple will face a proposed class motion lawsuit in California federal court docket over allegations that iCloud unlawfully monopolizes iPhone customers’ entry to core gadget backups, following a decide’s resolution to disclaim the corporate’s movement to dismiss the case (by way of Reuters).

Earlier this week, the Northern District of California dominated that plaintiffs had sufficiently amended their criticism to maneuver ahead with antitrust claims in mild of “substantial new allegations.” The lawsuit was initially filed in March 2024 and alleges that Apple successfully forces customers to make use of ‌iCloud‌ for backing up ‌iPhone‌ knowledge whereas proscribing third-party cloud providers from offering comparable performance, with wired backups being the one different choice.

Whereas Apple permits third-party providers to again up person knowledge resembling images, movies, and paperwork, the corporate doesn’t enable them to entry sure system-level gadgets, together with gadget settings, app configurations, and encrypted keychains. The plaintiffs search to certify a nationwide class of probably tens of hundreds of thousands of ‌iCloud‌ subscribers, arguing that Apple’s system successfully coerces customers into subscribing to its paid storage tiers.

Apple supplies all customers with 5GB of free ‌iCloud‌ storage. For a lot of customers, this allocation is inadequate for full-device backups. Paid plans start at $0.99 per thirty days for 50GB in the USA. Attorneys for the plaintiffs declare that the restricted entry to full backup performance compels customers to buy ‌iCloud‌ subscriptions, leading to overcharges that violate U.S. competitors legislation.

In its movement to dismiss, Apple argued that the necessity to use ‌iCloud‌ for backups was formed by privateness and safety concerns. The corporate stated that the restrictions on entry to delicate recordsdata had been intentional and rooted in the necessity to defend customers’ private info. Apple additionally contended that the case was time-barred, as plaintiffs should usually convey federal antitrust claims inside 4 years of the alleged violation.

Apple is required to file a proper response to the criticism by July 7, 2025. See the full court docket order for extra info.