Apple hit with £3 billion claim over iCloud pricing violating 40 million people

A UK consumer group has filed a £3 billion (US$3.82 billion) claim against Apple over its iCloud pricing and packaging details, which the consumer group alleges violates consumer practices in the UK and has resulted in Apple gaining an "unfair advantage" in the market.

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The claim comes from Which?, a consumer watchdog that tests products and services. Which? alleges in the claim that Apple's practices may have impacted as many as 40 million people across the UK, spanning back to October 1, 2015. Which? alleges Apple's practices has gained it market dominance, mentioning a "key tactic" that is used is Apple encouraging users to sign up to iCloud for "storage of photos, videos, and other data while simultaneously making it difficult to use alternative providers."

Moreover, the claim points out that "Apple does not allow customers to store or back up all of their phone's data with a third-party provider" and that once iCloud storage has exceeded the free 5GB limit, users are prompted with notifications reminding them to upgrade their iCloud storage to continue backing up photos, videos, and other data. Which? is seeking damages for approximately 40 million customers that have had iCloud services since October 2015, and the consumer watchdog believes £70 per customer is appropriate.

Additionally, Which? wants to further open up iOS to enable users more freedom of choice with cloud services.

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