Skip to main content

Apple iPhone 4 owners: Here’s how to get your $15 ‘Antennagate’ settlement

“Antennagate” is finally coming to a close. And now it’s time to reap the rewards. Following the settlement of a class action lawsuit against Apple for the widely reported reception issues with the iPhone 4, a new website has popped up where original iPhone 4 owners can claim the $15 entitled to them in the settlement. Rather than force your to weed through the whole site, we’ve summed up the most important bits below:

Am I eligible?

According to the no-frills site, iPhone4Settlement.com, those who meet all of the following qualifications are eligible to receive the $15:

a) Experienced reception issues
b) Were unable to return your iPhone 4 without it costing you anything
c) Were unwilling to use a case or bumper for your phone (which solves the problem)
d) Tried to the necessary troubleshooting steps, or did not try them because you sold your iPhone 4

In addition, you must be a resident of the United States, and be the original owner of the device. (You may have sold your iPhone 4, but you do not qualify if you bought the phone second-hand.) And you must have purchased your iPhone 4 prior to February 17, 2012.

Filing your claim form

Next, you will have to fill out a claim form, and file it. The form is a PDF file, which can be customized for you here. Once you’ve done that, you will be sent your claim form, which you must print out.

After you’ve filled out your form, you can scan it and upload it here, or email it to: claims@iphone4settlement.com. If for some insane reason you’d rather mail in your claim form, you must send it to:

Apple iPhone 4 Settlement Claims Administrator
P.O. Box 43062
Providence, RI
02940-3062

Remember: You must accurately and completely fill out your claim for, or it could be rejected, and you might miss out.

What if I want nothing to do with this?

You have a right to exclude yourself from the settlement, and can officially do so by mailing a letter stating that you want to be excluded, along with your name, address, telephone number, and the serial number of your phone to:

Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP
Attn: Rick Nelson, Class Member Relations
655 West Broadway, Suite 1900
San Diego, CA 92101

Dates to remember

All claim forms must be submitted electronically (via website or email), or postmarked by August 28, 2012. If you want out of the settlement altogether, you must send your letter by June 15, 2012. A final hearing in the case is scheduled to take place on July 13, 2012, during which time the presiding judge will decide whether to approve the settlement.

Want a bumper instead?

While it’s always nice to get a few extra bucks, a better option for a lot of people might be to just get a bumper case from Apple. To do so, you must either contact Apple Care, or visit an Apple Store.

Editors' Recommendations

Andrew Couts
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Features Editor for Digital Trends, Andrew Couts covers a wide swath of consumer technology topics, with particular focus on…
You’ll soon be able to control your iPhone and iPad with your eyes
The iPad Air 4 in hand.

Apple has announced a bunch of new accessibility features that will arrive later this year for iPhone and iPad owners. Notable among them is the ability to interact with iOS and iPadOS interfaces using eye movement, which is something that's seen in a similar system on Mac hardware.

The company calls it Eye Tracking, and it's a system built on the Dwell Control foundations. So far, Dwell Control has been available as part of the Accessibility Keyboard on macOS, allowing users to execute mouse actions using eye and head gestures.

Read more
How to connect an iPhone to a Mac with or without a cable
An iPhone being used on a MacBook as a webcam thanks to Apple's Continuity Camera feature in macOS Ventura.

When you connect your iPhone to your Mac computer, you’ll be able to access several features and settings. Whether you’d like to upload or offload media from your Mac to your iOS device, or you’d like to download a firmware update for your iPhone, you’ll be able to do so by connecting your smartphone to your Mac with a Lightning or USB-C cable. You can also link your iPhone to your Mac wirelessly, and our guide will provide you with detailed instructions for both wired and wireless connection methods.

Here’s a guide on how to connect your device to a Mac, with or without a USB-C or Lightning cable attached.

Read more
How to play YouTube in the background on iPhone and Android
YouTube Premium on iPhone.

You can play YouTube videos in the background on Android and iPhone devices very easily if you're a YouTube Premium subscriber. Just start playing a video, turn off the screen or navigate away and it'll continue playing, no trouble. But playing videos in the background is also doable even without a premium subscription. You can use picture in picture, or a specific browser.

This makes YouTube a great rival for some of the best podcast apps on iOS and on Android. Here's how to get YouTube playing in the background on your phone, whatever device you have.

Read more