In a significant ruling the South Delhi District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has directed Apple India to pay ₹1 lakh as compensation to a complainant over its “findable after power off” feature in iPhones.
The Commission held the company guilty of deficiency in service and unfair trade practice, observing that Apple failed to clearly disclose the preconditions required for the feature to function effectively.
Apple has widely promoted a feature that allows users to track their iPhones even after they are switched off, a capability positioned as a strong security and recovery tool.
However, the complainant argued that the feature did not work as expected when their phone was lost. Upon examination, the Commission found that while the feature exists, it is conditional, relying on specific settings, network conditions, and device configuration details that were not adequately communicated to consumers at the time of purchase.
The Consumer Commission noted that Apple’s communication around the feature lacked sufficient clarity, which could mislead an average consumer into believing that the tracking capability would work universally, without limitations. Consumer Court flags Apple India’s feature disclosure and orders ₹1 Lakh compensation
