An English businessman, whose identity remains undisclosed, is suing Apple for over £5 million after deleted messages, reportedly sent to sex workers, were discovered by his wife on their family iMac, precipitating their divorce.
The man alleges that Apple’s lack of transparency regarding the status of deleted messages led to his wife finding incriminating texts on their shared device, despite believing he had erased them from his iPhone. Speaking to The Times, he admitted to communicating with prostitutes via iMessage in the final years of his marriage, believing that deleting the messages would permanently remove them.
“If you are told a message is deleted, you are entitled to believe it’s deleted,” he stated, describing the discovery as a “painful and raw” ordeal that ended his marriage abruptly.
Simon Walton, representing the businessman from London law firm Rosenblatt, emphasized Apple’s alleged failure to clarify what happens to deleted messages across linked devices. According to Walton, Apple’s notification of message deletion can mislead users since messages may remain accessible on other synced devices.
“This is misleading because these messages are still found on other linked devices — something Apple doesn’t tell its users,” Walton remarked, underscoring the consequential impact on personal relationships when such information is not clearly communicated.
The businessman hopes his legal action will highlight the need for Apple to provide clearer guidance on message deletion practices, potentially preventing similar situations for other users.
