Millions of iCloud users could claim share of £3bn after Apple case given UK green light

A UK class action against Apple has been cleared to proceed, opening the possibility that roughly 40 million iCloud users could share a £3 billion payout, consumer group Which? said. The claim, filed at the Competition Appeal Tribunal in November 2024, accuses Apple of abusing its market position by effectively locking customers into its iCloud storage service and overcharging them as a result [1]. Which? estimates that each eligible consumer could receive approximately £77 if the case succeeds [1]. Apple has called the allegations unfounded. The company said no customer is required to use iCloud and that alternatives exist, adding it “strongly disagrees” with the tribunal’s decision and intends to appeal [1]. The case is not expected to be heard until October 2028 [1]. The class covers consumers who used iCloud between 8 November 2018 and 8 June 2026 and were living in the UK on 8 June 2026, unless they actively opt out [1]. Non-UK residents on that date must notify Which? by 8 October 2026 to join the claim [1]. Apple’s iCloud pricing currently ranges from 99p a month for 50GB of storage to £54.99 a month for 12TB [1]. Which? chief executive Anabel Hoult said the tribunal’s decision brought the group “one step closer to getting consumers the redress we believe they are owed from Apple” [1]. She added that “no company, no matter how powerful, can get away with abusing its position” and that the case “should send a strong message to any other companies using anti-competitive tactics” [1]. The litigation adds to a series of regulatory and legal challenges facing the world’s most valuable company. Apple has previously drawn criticism over anti-competitive practices, contractor labour conditions, and its environmental footprint [8]. A separate academic study estimated that the production carbon footprint of internet-of-things devices — a category that includes Apple’s AirTags and other connected accessories — could reach more than 1,000 MtCO2-equivalent per year by 2027 under worst-case deployment scenarios, underscoring the environmental scale of the hardware ecosystem that services such as iCloud support [6]. Apple’s control over its hardware and software integration, including the proprietary silicon that powers its devices, has long been central to its business strategy [10]. The company designs its own system-on-a-chip processors and tightly couples them with operating systems and services such as iCloud, a structure that Which? argues has allowed it to favour its own storage offering over third-party alternatives [1][10].