Apple Will Pay out $20 Million to Early Apple Watch Owners | Here’s How to Claim Your Share

Toggle Dark Mode
Apple has agreed to pay a $20 million settlement to resolve a class-action lawsuit that alleged that early Apple Watch models had a battery defect that caused display screens to crack or detach completely.
CNET reports that the lawsuit, filed in the US District Court for the Northern District of California, accused Apple of manufacturing its original, Series 1, Series 2, and Series 3 Apple Watch models without enough internal space to allow for normal battery swelling. The plaintiffs argued that when the devices’ lithium-ion batteries expanded, they put pressure on the Apple Watch’s display and other components, leading to the Watch suffering structural damage. In extreme cases, some users reported seeing the display screens separate from the watch casing.
The lawsuit claimed that when the display is damaged by the battery, “razor-sharp edges” are exposed, possibly leading to injury.
Despite knowing the battery can suddenly swell, the Complaint alleges that Apple allocated insufficient room inside the Apple Watch for it to freely expand without affecting the screen face and/or failed to incorporate a protective guard to keep it from contacting the screen face.
The swelling creates considerable upward pressure on the Apple Watch face, allegedly causing detachment, shattering, and/or cracking of the screen through no fault of the wearer. When this happens, it exposes razor-sharp edges and leads to operational failure and/or injuries resulting from unintended bodily contact with the detached, shattered, or cracked screen.
The suit included a recounting of a man who was an Apple Watch Series 3 owner for three years and had the watch screen detach due to battery swelling. At the time, he was driving a golf cart, and when he reached down from the steering wheel, the detached screen “severely sliced” the underside of his forearm, cutting a vein. The lawsuit included images of a deep slice along the man’s arm.
As is usual in class-action lawsuit settlements like this one, while Apple has agreed to pay a settlement, it denies any wrongdoing on its part and is paying the settlement to avoid prolonged litigation.
The terms of the settlement state that Apple will create a $20 million non-reversionary fund to compensate consumers who had affected Apple Watches that experienced battery swelling issues. Qualified Apple Watch owners will receive $20 to $50 per affected device. That settlement amount could be higher or lower, depending on the total number of claimants. As is also usual, a significant portion of the settlement fund will go to the lawyers to pay their fees and other administrative costs.
Users already registered in Apple’s records as having had battery swelling issues will not need to fill out a claim form. Those customers will automatically receive settlement compensation unless they opt out of the settlement by February 24, 2025.
Apple Watch owners who believe they qualify for a piece of the settlement but are not in Apple’s database must submit their payment method on the official settlement website before April 10, 2025.
By accepting a settlement payment, affected Apple Watch owners waive their rights to pursue further legal action against Apple regarding the battery issue.
Apple originally extended the service coverage period for first-generation Apple Watch devices with battery problems to three years. The first-generation Apple Watch went on sale on April 24, 2015.
Apple extended the service coverage period after several users on Reddit and Apple’s official Support Communities forums complained of their Apple Watch’s lithium-ion battery swelling or expanding after being overcharged, overheated, or punctured. The problem rendered affected Apple Watches unusable, as the expanding battery caused the screen to push away from the device’s casing.