Apple settles Family Sharing lawsuit, agrees to pay $25 million

Apple

has agreed to pay out $25 million to settle a class action lawsuit related to Family Sharing. The lawsuit, named "

Walter Peters

v. Apple Inc.," was filed in 2019 in the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles. It alleged that Apple had misled users about their ability to share subscriptions to certain apps with other members of their

Family Sharing

groups.

Apple has denied any wrongdoing. It decided to settle the case, as reported by MacRumors and end the litigation, citing the burden and cost of defending the lawsuit.
Apple provides a feature called Family Sharing that allows you and up to five other family members to share subscriptions to various Apple services like

Apple Music

,

Apple TV Plus

, Apple News Plus,

Apple Card

, and Apple Arcade. One can also share subscriptions for third-party apps as well However, a recent lawsuit claims that Apple misled customers by advertising the ability to share subscriptions to non-Apple apps.
The lawsuit alleges that even though Apple knew that most subscription-based apps did not support Family Sharing, it still advertised the feature on its apps' landing pages, leading customers to believe they could share a subscription to all apps. The complaint also claims that Apple placed ads on some subscription-based apps that didn't support Family Sharing, leading millions of customers to download apps that they couldn't share.

If you have subscribed to Apple's Family Sharing plan with someone else and have purchased a subscription to an app through the

App Store

between 2015 and 2019, you may be eligible for a settlement of up to $30 from the company.
Eligible members who file a claim will receive $30, although the final amount may vary depending on the number of claims filed. The maximum payout per claimant is $50, and up to $10 million is allocated for attorney fees. Those eligible can expect to receive an email regarding the lawsuit settlement this week. The deadline to file a claim is March 1, 2024, and the final approval hearing is scheduled for April 2, 2024.