Brits who owned certain Apple models could be in line to receive some cash if Justin Gutmann’s class action lawsuit against the tech giant is successful.

The consumer rights campaigner launched the legal challenge on behalf of millions of people who purchased iPhones which allegedly had ‘defective batteries’.

He claims that Apple concealed this from customers ‘with software updates that caused performance problems’, which included a ‘power management tool that impacted performance’.

Apple is accused of hiding issues with the batteries of several iPhone models, including the iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6S, iPhone 6S Plus, iPhone SE, iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.

Instead of recalling the devices, the class action claims that iOS updates which ‘contained a throttling function to manage battery performance’ were rolled out instead.

But rather than fixing the problem, these software updates are alleged to have ‘slowed down the performance’ of older iPhones to stop them shutting down without warning.

Gutmann has alleged that the devices couldn’t cope with the strain being placed on them, which increased the likelihood of sudden shutdowns – all while Apple allegedly kept customers in the dark.

Brits who owned an affected model, such as the iPhone 6 (pictured), may be owed some compensation (Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

He also claimed that Apple took advantage of its market dominance in the UK, while consumers paid the price.

According to the class action, those with affected phones were effectively forced to pay for either replacement batteries or brand new handsets due to the fault.

Anyone who owned one of the aforementioned models could have a stake in the lawsuit – and estimates suggest there are 23.8 million people in the UK who may be eligible for compensation.

What has Apple said about the lawsuit?

Apple has branded the case ‘baseless’ and tried to get it thrown out in 2023, however, the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) ruled that it could proceed.

A spokesperson said at the time: “We have never – and would never – do anything to intentionally shorten the life of any Apple product, or degrade the user experience to drive customer upgrades.

“Our goal has always been to create products that our customers love, and making iPhones last as long as possible is an important part of that.”

The class action alleges that customers were deliberately ‘throttled’ by Apple (Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

The tech firm has vehemently denied any batteries in its iPhones were defective, except from a few 6S models, where customers were offered free battery replacements.

It previously admitted slowing down the performance of some older devices with ailing battery lives, but insisted it was necessary to protect its components.

After the trial was given the go-ahead, Apple was refused permission to appeal the decision – and Gutmann’s day in court is on the horizon.

The Tribunal made a Collective Proceedings Order, granting permission for the class action to be brought, on 23 January this year.

So if you owned one of the models, you might want to keep a close eye on this case, as you could end up with a windfall from the £853million pot of compensation.