Which? files £3bn legal claim against Apple for competition law breach
Around 40 million UK iPhone and iPad iOS users could be entitled to their share of a £3bn claim against Apple.
Acting on behalf of UK consumers, Which? believes that Apple has breached UK competition law by failing to provide a choice of cloud storage providers, and steering customers towards its iCloud service by not clearly informing them of alternatives and how those could be used on an iOS device.
Here, we explain what this legal action is and what it means for UK consumers.
The first court dates in this claim have been set and our Collective Proceedings Order Application against Apple will be heard in the Competition Appeal Tribunal (the 'Tribunal') on the 19-21 November 2025. During this hearing, the Tribunal will determine whether Which?’s legal claim against Apple is appropriate to go ahead on a 'collective' basis (ie, as a class action where members of the class are not individually named) and whether Which? is an appropriate representative of the class.
Which? is acting on behalf of all UK consumers that used iCloud from 1 October 2015. If you fall into that category, you or any person with a legitimate interest have a right to object to our claim against Apple or Which?’s role to represent UK Apple customers. You can set out your objections in writing or make submissions to the Tribunal in-person at the hearing.
You can do this by writing to the Tribunal to object and/or request to make submissions in-person by no later than 4pm on 22 July 2025.
Find out more about the collective claim and if you’re eligible for a payout at cloudclaim.co.uk
iCloud competition claim in a nutshell
Which? believes that 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 legal claim is being brought on an ‘opt-out’ and ‘opt-in’ basis. This means that, if consumers are eligible and live in the UK, they will automatically be included in the claim unless they tell Which? that they do not want to be.
If consumers live abroad but are otherwise eligible, they need to tell Which? that they want to be included.
You can find out more about the claim, if you could be affected and due a payout, and details on how to opt out, by visiting the dedicated website: cloudclaim.co.uk
‘Locked in’ with higher prices
iCloud is an Apple-integrated data storage service, but Which? understands that, behind the scenes, iCloud uses and used cloud infrastructure from third-party operators (namely Google, Amazon and Microsoft) to store encrypted user data.
It is built into every Apple device and comes with 5GB of free data to store photos, notes, messages and other data. Once customers have filled their free 5GB of iCloud storage, they are invited to upgrade for additional storage at paid tiers (currently ranging from 99p to £54.99). But customers are unlikely to have factored in the need to pay for upgrades when they first began using cloud storage.
At the same time, users aren't offered any alternative cloud providers. And, even if they were, iPhone users are tied to iCloud because they cannot store or back up all of their phone’s data with a third-party provider, as Apple doesn't allow certain data to be stored other than on iCloud.
The convenience of being ‘locked-in’ to this service over time could come at a significant cost – in terms of price, quality and choice. With Apple being such a dominant player in the phone and tablet market, this behaviour also creates a barrier for any new cloud service providers.
With the ever-increasing volume of data that mobile and tablet users generate, consumers should be able to access competitive cloud storage alternatives on their devices.
- Read more: how to choose the best cloud storage service
What does the iCloud claim mean for consumers?
Which? is seeking damages for all affected consumers. So if you have obtained iCloud services from 1 October 2015, you may be entitled to compensation if the claim is successful.
Working alongside a team of external experts, Which? has estimated that Apple could owe UK consumers who have obtained iCloud services from 1 October 2015 an average payout of £70.
Which? is urging Apple to do the right thing and settle this claim without the need for litigation by offering consumers their money back and opening up iOS to allow users real choice of cloud provider.
Apple has said it rejects any suggestion that its iCloud practices are anticompetitive and will vigorously defend the legal claim.
What is a collective action?
Which?’s legal action could help millions of consumers get redress for Apple’s anticompetitive behaviour.
This is possible because of the opt-out collective action regime introduced by the Consumer Rights Act 2015.
Which? will have to get the Competition Appeal Tribunal's permission for the claim to proceed – this is known as ‘certification’. The certification hearing will take place on 19-21 November 2025.
In the past, it has been near impossible for individual consumers to take on big companies like Apple, but the collective regime has allowed Which? to represent consumers where large numbers of people have been harmed by anticompetitive conduct.
This action is vital to obtain redress for consumers and to send a clear message to powerful companies like Apple: Which? is prepared to take action if they engage in harmful practices.
Register on the claim website for updates and to see if you could be eligible to claim compensation: cloudclaim.co.uk
Updated: This article was updated on 4 June 2025 to include new key information, such as the certification hearing date and details on how consumers can object to the claim. It was originally published on 14 November 2024.
