Beats plausibly deceived consumers with Android feature claims

Saucedo v. Beats Electronics, LLC, 2026 WL 2210908, No. 26-cv-01363-RFL (N.D. Cal. Jul. 31, 2026)

Saucedo’s California claims against Beats partially survived for alleged misrepresentations about the Android compatibility of its headphones. The Amazon product page allegedly said, “Whether you’re on iOS or Android, you can enjoy the same seamless compatibility.” The accompanying footnote did not distinguish between features, saying only: “Requires an iCloud account and a compatible Apple device running the latest operating system software or a compatible Android device running the latest operating system software with Google Play Services enabled.” The Amazon page also claimed “Personalized Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking” as a feature of the headphones, without any qualifier about its availability on Android within the graphic or nearby it.

 

“A reasonable consumer could plausibly read these representations and be deceived into thinking Android users would be able to use the Personalized Spatial Audio feature.”  Even if she should have looked beyond these, deception was still plausible. Though a separate graphic about “Apple and Android Compatibility” listed specific features that users could “[e]njoy,” it was plausible that users would not understand that as an exclusive list of cross-platform features. And one of the Frequently Asked Questions addresses the Personalized Spatial Audio feature, but does not disclose that the feature is unavailable on Android devices. It states:

Do my headphones have Spatial Audio?

Beats Solo 4 has personalized Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking and uses built-in gyroscopes and accelerometers to surround you with sound as you move, creating a truly immersive listening experience on Apple platforms. You can customize your Spatial Audio in your iOS settings by going to Settings > Personalized Spatial Audio and following the on-screen instructions.

An “almost entirely illegible” disclaimer (which isn’t super clear) didn’t help: “Compatible hardware and software required .... iPhone with TrueDepth camera required to create a personal profile for Spatial Audio, which will sync across Apple devices ....”

"disclaimer"

Plaintiff was granted leave to amend to add allegations that she might repurchase the headphones because she might “reasonably, but incorrectly, assume the product was improved.” “It seems possible that Saucedo could plausibly allege that given the rapid pace at which technology develops,” so the request for injunctive relief was dismissed with leave to amend.