Apple Pay launches in India; Karen Ngui of DBS Foundation discusses community support

Apple may offer compensation of up to US$ 95 (equivalent to about R$ 491) to consumers in the United States. This offer is part of a total agreement of US$ 250 million (approximately R$ 1.29 billion) regarding the postponement of artificial intelligence features that the company had announced in 2024.

The compensation is directed at buyers of specific iPhone models acquired between June 10, 2024, and March 29, 2025. The initial estimated value per device is US$ 25 (about R$ 129), but this amount may increase to US$ 95 if there is a low number of valid claims. The deadline to claim this compensation is December 21, 2026.

The class action lawsuit argued that customers purchased certain iPhone models expecting the artificial intelligence features to be available sooner. Due to successive delays in the launch, Apple accepted the US$ 250 million settlement to finalize the litigation, without admitting any fault.

The estimated individual payment is US$ 25 per eligible unit. It is important to note that a portion of the total settlement amount will be allocated to cover administrative expenses, taxes, and legal fees.

Consumers who meet the criteria must visit the designated website for the agreement and submit their request. This procedure requires personal information, the iPhone's serial number, and a valid payment method. Accepted payment methods include PayPal, Venmo, ACH transfer, or check. For business entities, commercial data must be provided, and a form containing the device's serial number, the associated Apple account identifier, and the device's phone number must be completed. The serial number can be found on the iPhone itself by accessing Settings > General > About.

Originally, during the WWDC 2024 conference, Apple had promised to launch Apple Intelligence that same year. However, the project was postponed to 2025 and underwent further extensions. Some functionalities were made available in the second half of 2025, but the full promise was only fulfilled with the release of iOS 27 in the second half of 2026.

The lawsuit was based on the claim that consumers made purchases relying on Apple's promise. Although the company did not admit liability, it agreed to pay US$ 250 million to end the legal process. Eligible consumers who are entitled to compensation must formalize their request within the established deadline, as participation in the agreement will no longer be possible after December 21, 2026.

Passengers of Centrum Air airline now have the option to purchase flight tickets using Apple Pay and Google Pay services. This feature allows transactions to be completed directly from a smartphone, eliminating the need to manually enter bank card details on the website.

The implementation of this online payment method was made possible through a partnership with Octobank and the use of the bank's internet acquiring. Tokenized data is used when making payments, which guarantees that the actual card details do not reach the seller.

Vladimir Vasiliev, Managing Director for Cross-Border Money Transfers and E-commerce at Octobank, emphasized that payment speed is critical for improving the customer experience. He noted that the technological partner's task is to provide businesses with the ability to integrate such a convenient payment experience directly into the online purchasing process, which is especially valuable for the aviation industry.

For its part, the press service of Centrum Air expressed gratitude to Octobank for the technical implementation and productive cooperation. The airline noted the growing interest of passengers in modern digital payment methods, and launching payment via Apple Pay and Google Pay will make the ticket purchasing process more convenient for customers accustomed to digital payments.

The integration of Apple Pay and Google Pay also expands the functionality of Octobank's internet acquiring for all companies accepting online payments.