The infamous iPad mini jelly scrolling earns Apple a class action lawsuit, and rightfully so

It’s unfortunate that the reported iPad mini jelly scrolling issue cannot be fixed because it’s inspired one Colorado resident to file a class-action lawsuit against Apple.

Apple's marketing image showing iPad mini, model year 2021, held in a male's right hand
Image credit: Apple
  • A new class-action lawsuit filed against Apple alleges that the infamous jelly scrolling problem plaguing the latest iPad mini renders the device “unusable.”
  • The complaint describes the jelly scrolling issue as causing the tablet’s display to “bend, warp, blur and obscure text and images.”
  • Apple called jelly scrolling expected behavior for LCD screens such as the one in the latest iPad mini, but some owners don’t seem to be content with that explanation.

Apple may go to court over iPad mini jelly scrolling

Some folks don’t seem to be content with Apple’s official explanation that jelly scrolling, exhibited while scrolling in portrait orientation, is “normal behavior for LCD screens.”

MacRumors spotted a class-action lawsuit filed against Apple by Colorado resident Christopher Bryan. In the filing, the plaintiff calls jelly scrolling on the iPad mini a “defect” that’s causing the display to “bend, warp, blur and obscure text and images.”

Apple has continued to market the Device without disclosing the nature of the Defect, including in its commercials, advertisements and packaging. Instead, Apple has concealed the Defect, opting instead to market the Devices as capable of enabling the consumer to read, play games and write despite the fact that each of these functions and features are hampered by the Defect.

The problem makes the tablet “unusable,” the complaint goes on to say.

Worse yet, users have reported motion sickness, nausea, vomiting and migraines when using the Device due to the Defect. Although Apple itself publicly acknowledged the problem to niche tech publications just four days after the iPad mini’s release, Apple has continued to sell the iPad mini and has refused to fix the problem or to amend its marketing materials to reflect the existence of the Defect. Instead, Apple has insisted, against the weight of evidence, that the Defect is normal.

The filing accuses Apple of breaching California’s competition law, alleging the company has engaged in fraud and other illegal practices such as false advertising. The lawsuit is seeking financial compensation for all buyers of the sixth-generation iPad mini.

Jelly scrolling cannot be fixed

Jelly scrolling refers to a weird wobble-like effect that appears when scrolling content on iPad mini 6. Apple called the effect expected behavior for LCD screens though its other LCD-based iPad—such as the latest iPad Air, for example—don’t exhibit this problem at all. Read: Video tips, tricks and hidden features for iPad mini 6 owners

It’s unclear why one half of the iPad mini’s screen refreshes slower than the other half, whether that’s a technical limitation, a design compromise or an engineering oversight. For what it’s worth, iFixit has determined that iPad mini 6’s screen tears with a mismatch in refresh rates, leading to one side of the screen not moving in sync with the other.