Reuters reports that a U.S. federal judge has dismissed a proposed class-action lawsuit that accused Apple of misleading customers about the iPhone’s ability to resist water.
The iPhone’s water resistance is one of the features Apple heavily promotes in its marketing campaigns, ever since the company’s launch of the iPhone 7. The Cupertino firm says some models can survive water depths of up to four meters for 30 minutes.
The named plaintiffs, two from New York and one from South Carolina, claimed that Apple’s “false and misleading” misrepresentations let the company charge twice as much for iPhones than the cost of “average smartphones.”
However, U.S. District Judge Denise Cote has ruled that while the plaintiffs’ argument that Apple’s advertising could mislead some customers was indeed plausible, the plaintiffs did not prove that their iPhones were damaged by “liquid contact” Apple promised they could withstand. Judge Cote also found no evidence of fraud, saying there was a lack of proof that Apple consciously intended to overstate its water-resistance claims for commercial gain.
The judge also ruled that there was insufficient evidence that the plaintiffs relied on fraudulent marketing statements when choosing to buy their iPhones.
The plaintiffs’ lawyer said that his clients were disappointed with the verdict and that a decision about whether to appeal had not yet been made.
Apple’s iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 lineups boast an IP68 water resistance rating. The devices can withstand water up to a depth of six meters (19.7 feet) for up to 30 minutes. That allows the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 to resist splashes, rain, and accidental water exposure. However, users should still avoid dropping the device in the water, if at all possible.
