Apple has agreed to pay $20 million to settle a class-action lawsuit over battery swelling on the Apple Watch. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in 2019, alleges that the issue affected the first four Apple Watch models.

Battery swelling is a phenomenon where a buildup of heat and gas inside the lithium-ion battery causes its walls to expand. This can, in turn, damage or break other components in the device as it grows within the tightly-packed space.

Apple continues to deny the issue, stating that the payment was made to avoid future legal fees from a suit that lasted for more than five years.

“Apple denies all of the allegations made in the lawsuit, denies that the covered watches experienced any issues related to battery swell, and denies that Apple did anything improper or unlawful,” the court notes. “Apple asserts numerous defenses to the claims in this case. The proposed settlement to resolve this case is not an admission of guilt or wrongdoing of any kind by Apple.”

In a statement to TechCrunch, Apple stated:

Apple Watch is designed to be safe and reliable. This settlement applies to purchasers of Original Apple Watch, Series 1, Series 2, and Series 3, which are no longer available for purchase. While we strongly disagree with the claims made against these early generation Apple Watch models, we agreed to settle to avoid further litigation.

To qualify for payment, users must have alerted Apple customer service to the issue between April 24, 2015 and February 6, 2024. Eligible parties must reside in the U.S. They will receive notification via postcard or email. Compensation is based on how many complaints the impacted party filed during the above window, with class payments ranging from $20 to $50.

Watch owners must further submit payment information to the lawsuit’s official site before April 10, 2025 to receive payment.

The settlement comes a week after Google-owned Fitbit was required to pay a $12.25 million penalty due to battery overheating on its Ionic smartwatch.