Apple Hit With $5 Million Lawsuit Over iOS WiFi Assist Feature

When iOS 9 was introduced, so was a feature called WiFi Assist. For those unfamiliar with the feature, basically when enabled it will switch between WiFi and cellular data when it detects that your WiFi signal might be weak or too slow. That being said, it seems that a couple in Florida aren’t taking kindly to the feature and have since filed a lawsuit against Apple.

According to the couple, William and Suzanne Phillips, they are suing Apple for deceptive business practices, false advertising, and misrepresentation. They are also seeking class-action certification and claim that other customers have been “harmed” by this feature, claiming that Apple did not specifically spell out how exactly WiFi Assist works.

Basically there have been some concerns that WiFi Assist is too sensitive and that it switches to cellular data too easily, meaning that it could end up eating more data than users would like. However Apple has since released a support document to further explain the feature, and stated that the additional data used in WiFi Assist is minimal at best.

However according to the Phillips, this wasn’t enough as their lawsuit reads, “[This action] still downplays the possible data overcharges a user could incur,” the suit contends. “Reasonable and average consumers use their iPhones for streaming of music, videos and running various applications — all of which can use significant data.”

What do you guys think? Do they have a case here?

Tyler Lee
Categories: Apple, Cellphones, Tablets
Tags: ios 9, Legal, Social Hit