Apple sued for exaggerating iPhone water resistance
According to the American portal AppleInsider, in New York, a class-action lawsuit was filed against Apple. Consumers complain that Cupertinians exaggerate the water-resistance properties of iPhones in advertising and do not mention important terms related to warranty service.
Today, almost all smartphone manufacturers are introducing moisture protection into their devices, and Apple is no exception. Various marketing materials for the iPhone 12 mention the possibility of submerging smartphones underwater to a depth of 6 meters for 30 minutes without consequences. Smartphones of the iPhone 11 family had similar properties; only the maximum depth for them was declared at 4 meters. Note that for both smartphones, compliance with the IP68 standard, which implies immersion up to 1.5 meters, is declared, so Apple has set an even higher level of protection.
However, in a lawsuit filed Saturday in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, the plaintiffs argue that these properties are exaggerated. The 13-page complaint says Apple’s claims were measured in a lab environment. When used in real life, the devices may not only come into contact with immaculate water, and the standard warranty does not cover such cases.
For example, if a smartphone is damaged after being used in a swimming pool or at sea, which probably contains a certain amount of chlorine and salts, respectively, then the company will refuse warranty repair. A similar result will be when the soap gets inside. According to the applicants, this misleads buyers and can lead to financial losses (repair fees and other losses).
This isn’t the first time Apple has been criticized for misrepresenting water resistance in its devices. In November 2020, the Italian antitrust authority fined Apple € 10 million on charges that the company misled consumers by bragging about waterproofing devices and then denying warranty service.
