Apple is facing a £3 billion claim from consumer group Which? for allegedly forcing its cloud storage on customers.
The UK watchdog claims the US tech giant has breached competition law by encouraging iPhone, iPad and Mac users to sign up to its iCloud services in order to store their photos, videos and other personal data.
Which? also alleges that Apple stifled competition by making it difficult for customers to access rival products while using the iOS operating system.
This practice has allowed Apple to overcharge around 40 million users for iCloud subscriptions since 2015, according to the claim, which was filed with the Competition Appeal Tribunal.
Which? argues that individual Apple customers are entitled to an average of £70 each for the anti-competitive actions.
“We believe Apple customers are owed nearly £3 billion as a result of the tech giant forcing its iCloud services on customers and cutting off competition from rival services,” said Which? chief executive Anabel Hoult.
“By bringing this claim, Which? is showing big corporations like Apple that they cannot rip off UK consumers without facing repercussions. Taking this legal action means we can help consumers to get the redress that they are owed, deter similar behaviour in the future, and create a better, more competitive market.”
Apple said in a statement that it “rejected” any claims that its iCloud practices were anti-competitive, adding that it would defend itself against any legal claims.
“Apple believes in providing our customers with choices. Our users are not required to use iCloud, and many rely on a wide range of third-party alternatives for data storage,” the spokesperson said.
“In addition, we work hard to make data transfer as easy as possible – whether it is to iCloud or another service.”