Apple is facing a $5 million class action lawsuit over its new Wi-Fi Assist feature for iOS 9.
A Californian couple wants Apple to reimburse customers for excessive phone bill charges linked to the new iOS 9 feature.
Wi-Fi Assist detects when your iPhone’s Wi-Fi connection is slower than your network data connection. In such a case, it will switch to using the latter in order to optimise your iPhone’s internet connection.
It sounds like a smart feature, but Wi-Fi Assist has attracted a fair amount of controversy since its release in iOS 9. Those with strict data caps have complained that the new feature eats into their data allowance far more than before – particularly as Wi-Fi Assist is activated by default.
Apple has since clarified Wi-Fi Assist’s functionality in order to head off such complaints. It has pointed out that the feature doesn’t use mobile network data in the background, that it doesn’t work when roaming, and that it doesn’t work with certain data-hungry third party apps.
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However, that hasn’t been enough to fend off a legal challenge in the US. As Apple Insider reports, William Scott Phillips and Suzanne Schmidt Phillips want Apple to reimburse its customers for the costs associated with Wi-Fi Assist to the tune of $5 million.
The filing claims that Apple has fallen foul of California’s false advertising law, and accuses the company of negligent misrepresentation.
Check out our iOS 9 features video below:
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
