Apple hit by huge iCloud ‘lock in’ lawsuit that accuses it of ‘rip-off prices’

• Which? argues that Apple is blocking consumers from cheaper alternatives
• Apple offers 5GB of iCloud space for free, but you must pay for more
• UK brand Which? is seeking £3bn ($3.8bn) in damages from Apple

Apple has long been accused of being miserly with its iCloud online storage tiers, but things have rarely move beyond the realm of truculent grumbling. That’s all changing now, though, as British consumer advocacy brand Which? has launched a £3bn ($3.8bn) lawsuit accusing Apple of ripping off its customers by locking them into expensive iCloud tiers.

When you buy an Apple device, you are given 5GB of iCloud storage for free. If you want to upgrade, you can choose from a range of paid-for iCloud options. However, Which? says that users are not offered a choice of rival cloud storage services, and instead have to use iCloud because Apple blocks certain data on your device from being uploaded to competitors’ services.

A separate lawsuit from March 2024 claims that Apple “arbitrarily sequesters” essential app data and device settings that would be required for a full device backup.

According to the legal action from Which?, “Apple iPhone and iPad iOS users have had little choice but to use Apple’s own iCloud service, and therefore Apple can charge users more than if it had to compete with rival cloud storage services.”

The Which? lawsuit is seeking damages of £3bn (around $3.8bn) for around 40 million UK customers, which would mean a payout of about £70 (about $90) for each British person who has used iCloud services since October 1, 2015. Even for a company of Apple’s size and wealth, that would be a sizable payout.

Analysis: We’ve been here before