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 lived in the UK on 8 June 2026, you will automatically be included in the claim unless you have told us that you don’t want to be by 8 October 2026. If you do not wish to be part of the claim, more information on how you can opt-out of the claim can be found here. If you live abroad, and did not live in the UK on 8 June 2026, but are otherwise eligible, you need to tell us that you want to be included by 8 October 2026. More information on how you can opt-in to the claim can be found here.

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

The class representative is 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.

As class representative, Which? is responsible for acting in the interests of all class members and making decisions on behalf of the class. Which? will also communicate updates about the claim to consumers, including by issuing formal notices, such as this notice about the collective proceedings order made by the Competition Appeal Tribunal.

If you lived in the UK and you used an Apple device running on iOS including iPhones, iPads, iPod Touches and obtained iCloud services at some point between 8 November 2018 and 8 June 2026, you are likely to be included and may be due compensation – find out if you are one of them here by using our eligibility tool.

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. Please note: You are not included if you only used iCloud on iMac.

If you lived in the UK after 8 November 2018 but have moved abroad since then, you may still be due compensation - find out if you are one of them here by using our eligibility tool.

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.

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. The case reference for this claim is: 1689/7/7/24. Hearings are also live streamed on its website, though please note that it is prohibited to record any of the hearings.

The Competition Appeal Tribunal will decide the case in stages. It could take years to obtain a final outcome in this case.

The first stage of the matter involves Which? getting permission from the Tribunal to bring the claim as collective proceedings. 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. The CPO application hearing took place on 19 and 20 November 2025 during which the Tribunal heard arguments about whether the claim should go ahead on a “collective basis” (i.e. as a class action instead of as multiple, individual claims) and whether Which? can act as the representative of the class. Following the hearing, the Tribunal approved Which?’s application for ‘certification’ and issued a CPO on 17 June 2026. Which?’s claim will now proceed in accordance with the Tribunal’s directions.

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.

It was possible to object to the collective action but the deadline for doing so was on 22 July 2025 and has now passed.

That’s the best part, if you lived in the UK on 8 June 2026 and are eligible, you don’t need to do anything to be part of this claim.

Now that the Tribunal has ‘certified’ Which?’s claim, it 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.

If you have moved abroad after 8 November 2018, but are otherwise eligible and want to be included, you will need to Opt-In to the claim using the Opt-In form by 8 October 2026.

You can 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 as the claim 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.

No money is available now and there is no guarantee that money will be available in the future. The claim will need to be won in the Tribunal, or a settlement reached between Which?, on behalf of the class, and Apple.

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.

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, LCM Funding UK Limited, to bring the claim.

Which? has obtained insurance to cover Apple’s legal costs, so you won’t be liable for Apple’s costs even if the claim is unsuccessful.

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.