FAQs

The claim is being brought against Apple – the well-known US multi-billion-dollar tech giant which manufactures all iOS devices, including smartphones and tablets.

Which? believes Apple is abusing its position as a dominant company in breach of competition law.

Which? believes Apple has been:

1. favouring its own cloud storage services on its iOS devices, compared to other cloud storage providers; and
2. tying iCloud services to iOS devices, which are purchased by consumers.

Together, this unlawful conduct locks users into Apple’s iCloud storage services, prevents them from switching to alternative cloud providers and enables Apple to charge higher fees for iCloud services than would be the case if Apple behaved lawfully.

Collective proceedings are legal proceedings brought on behalf of people who have been affected by a common event or series of events. In this scenario Which? are representing UK iCloud users, working to get compensation for what we believe consumers are owed.

Collective proceedings can be brought on an ‘opt-out’ basis, where members of the class are automatically included in the claim unless they decide not to be. They can also be brought on an ‘opt-in’ basis, where members of the class must choose to join and be part of the claim.

The claim by Which? is being brought on an ‘opt-out’ and ‘opt-in’ basis. This means that, if you’re eligible and live in the UK, you will automatically be included in the claim unless you have told us that you don’t want to be. If you live abroad but are otherwise eligible, you need to tell us that you want to be included.

Find out if you fall within the definition of the ‘class’ here or use our eligibility tool.

Which?, the UK’s largest independent, non-profit consumer advocacy organisation. Which? has been championing consumers’ rights for more than 60 years by testing products, publishing product reviews and pushing companies to improve their standards and practices.

For more information, check out Which?’s website.

The Competition Appeal Tribunal, often referred to as the CAT or simply the ‘Tribunal’ is a specialist court that hears competition law cases, including collective actions.

The Tribunal publishes its Rules and Guidance, together with information about what it does and details of its on-going cases, on its website. Hearings are also live streamed on its website, though please note that it is prohibited to record any of the hearings.

For Which? to bring the collective proceedings it must first get permission from the Tribunal for the claim to proceed. This is known as making an application for ‘certification’ or obtaining a collective proceedings order (‘CPO’).

Which?’s application for certification was filed on 8 November 2024. A date for the certification hearing will be set in due course, where the Tribunal will determine whether Which’s claim can proceed and if it is authorised to be class representative.

This website will be updated once the Tribunal sets a date to hear Which?’s certification application.

Claims can take years to win, so register for email updates by clicking the Stay Up To Date button below to receive case developments directly.

The claim will not cost you anything, whatever the outcome. Which? has funding in place to cover the costs.

Which? is a non-profit organisation and as such cannot fund a claim of this size by itself. Which? is working with a litigation funder, Litigation Capital Management, to bring the claim.

Which? has obtained insurance to cover Apple’s legal costs, in the event that the claim is unsuccessful.

If you live in the UK and used an iOS device and iCloud services at any point on or after 1 October 2015 you could be due compensation - find out if you are one of them here.

If you lived in the UK at any point on or after 1 October 2015 but now live abroad you may still be due compensation - find out if you are one of them here.

Yes, personal representatives of individuals who would have been within the class definition but have since passed away should be able to claim. This will likely include those who hold a Power of Attorney in relation to vulnerable people.

iCloud set-up is closely linked with Apple ID set up. Children under the age of 13 cannot create an Apple ID account on their own. The parent or guardian holding the Apple ID account on behalf of an under 13-year-old will likely be part of the class that Which? represents in this claim. Therefore, provided you are over the age of 13 and fulfill the other eligibility criteria, you can participate in the claim.

Further information about how to object and opt-out of the proceedings, should they be certified by the Competition Appeal Tribunal, will be provided in due course.

The average compensation is estimated to be £70 per individual, at the time of filing the claim.

No money is available now. The claim will need to be won in the Tribunal, or a settlement reached with Apple.

If you used an Apple mobile device running on iOS including iPhones, iPads, iPod Touches and obtained iCloud services on or after 1 October 2015 you are likely to be included. You are not included if you only used iCloud on iMac.

As long as you meet the class definition (click here to see the full class definition) and obtained iCloud services on or after 1 October 2015 you are likely to be included. This includes cloud storage services provided by Apple as part of iCloud, iCloud+ and Apple One (which bundles iCloud+ with other Apple subscriptions) service offerings for cloud storage and/or backup.

That’s the best part, if you live in the UK and are eligible, you don’t need to do anything to be part of this claim.

If certified by the Tribunal, Which?’s claim will proceed and Which?, as the class representative, will bring the claim on behalf of a defined group of people (the ‘class members’) who are automatically part of the class if they fit the class definition and live in the UK. Those class members don’t have to sign-up to be part of the claim.

We do recommend signing up to our email updates by clicking Stay Up To Date and registering your interest to receive periodic updates about the claim.

If you live abroad but are otherwise eligible and want to be included, register for email updates by clicking Stay Up To Date and registering your interest to receive periodic updates about the claim. Please make sure to share this with friends and family.

The website will also be regularly updated if the claim is certified and as it progresses.

If we win, we will directly update anyone who has signed up for email updates so they can come forward and claim their compensation. We will also be campaigning to make consumers aware that money is available to compensate them if they come forward.

Please keep any documents related to your iCloud subscription, so things like invoices, receipts, credit card statements or direct debit statements or other proof of purchase of iCloud services on an iOS device. We will provide a further update here once the claim is certified by the Competition Appeal Tribunal.

We have established a dedicated email account, info@CloudClaim.co.uk, through which we will send out an auto-response email when you register to stay up to date with the claim. Any email you receive from that account is safe to open, unless stipulated otherwise on this website.

Please note that the ongoing email updates will be from info@act.which.co.uk. The email inbox is regularly monitored, but please note that we are unable to respond to emails concerning questions of eligibility at this time. If you are wondering whether you may be eligible for inclusion in the claim, please use the eligibility tool here.

The best way to help is to spread our message about the case. By sharing this website with friends and family, you can help us reach all the individuals impacted and owed money should we win.