Judge dismisses iPhone water resistance lawsuit

iPhone 12 Pro review
iPhone 12 Pro review (Image credit: Daniel Bader / iMore)

What you need to know

  • A lawsuit over Apple's claims its iPhone is water-resistant has been thrown out.
  • Two plaintiffs had alleged that Apple had been misleading and false about how much water the iPhone could withstand.
  • They said this mean the iPhone was double the cost of an average smartphone.

A judge in Manhattan has dismissed claims that Apple mislead consumers regarding the water-resistance of the iPhone.

From Reuters:

A federal judge on Wednesday dismissed a proposed class-action lawsuit accusing Apple Inc (AAPL.O) of misleading consumers about how resistant its iPhones are to water exposure.Apple's advertisements had made various claims about the iPhone's resistance to damage when submerged or otherwise exposed to water, including that some models could survive depths of 4 meters (13.1 feet) for 30 minutes.

Plaintiffs claimed that Apple's assertion was "false and misleading" and meant that Apple could charge more than twice the price of the average smartphone. While the judge stated that the plaintiffs "plausibly alleged that Apple's ads could mislead consumers" they failed to show that their phones were damaged were liquid contact that Apple had promised they could stand. The judge also found no proof of fraud and said there was a lack of evidence that Apple had willfully overstated its water-resistance claims.

Many of Apple's most-recent best iPhones including the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 offer strong water resistance, and Apple routinely markets its devices as child or toddler-proof as one of its strongest suits.

The company is expected to unveil a new 5G iPhone SE in the spring of 2022 to replace its popular lowered-priced iPhone SE.

Stephen Warwick
News Editor

Stephen Warwick has written about Apple for five years at iMore and previously elsewhere. He covers all of iMore's latest breaking news regarding all of Apple's products and services, both hardware and software. Stephen has interviewed industry experts in a range of fields including finance, litigation, security, and more. He also specializes in curating and reviewing audio hardware and has experience beyond journalism in sound engineering, production, and design.

Before becoming a writer Stephen studied Ancient History at University and also worked at Apple for more than two years. Stephen is also a host on the iMore show, a weekly podcast recorded live that discusses the latest in breaking Apple news, as well as featuring fun trivia about all things Apple. Follow him on Twitter @stephenwarwick9