According to Justin Gutmann, the business misled users about an upgrade that was supposed to improve speed but really slowed phones down.
He's suing for £768 million in damages on behalf of up to 25 million iPhone users in the United Kingdom.
Apple claims it has "never" decreased the life of its products on purpose.
Apple allegedly delayed the performance of older iPhones in a method known as "throttling" in order to avoid costly recalls or repairs, according to the lawsuit, which was filed with the Competition Appeal Tribunal.
It refers to the introduction of a power management tool in a January 2017 software update for iPhone users, which was designed to address performance concerns and prevent older devices from shutting down unexpectedly.
Apple to pay $113m to settle iPhone 'batterygate'
Mr. Gutmann, a consumer advocate, claims that the tool's information was not included in the software update download description at the time, and that the corporation neglected to make it apparent that it would slow devices down.
He alleges that Apple created this mechanism to disguise the fact that iPhone batteries may have struggled to run the latest iOS software, and that instead of recalling goods or supplying replacement batteries, the company instead urged consumers to download the updates.
"Rather of doing the right thing by their customers and offering a free replacement, repair service, or compensation, Apple misled them by hiding a tool in software upgrades that slowed their devices by up to 58 percent," Mr Gutmann added.
The iPhone 6, 6 Plus, 6S, 6S Plus, SE, 7, 7 Plus, 8, 8 Plus, and iPhone X models are among those protected by the claim.
Customers will not need to join the case to seek damages because it is an opt-out claim.
"We have never, and will never, do anything to purposefully shorten the life of any Apple device, or impair the user experience to force consumer upgrades," Apple stated in a statement.
"Making iPhones endure as long as possible has always been a key element of our mission of creating products that our consumers enjoy."
Apple has been dogged by the so-called "batterygate" scandal for some time, despite maintaining that its intentions were honorable.
Tim Cook, the company's CEO, took the extraordinary step of apologizing to "anyone who thinks we had any other kind of purpose" in 2018.
Critics claim that the update forced consumers to upgrade their phones because older phones slowed down substantially when doing basic activities like FaceTime after a software update.
Apple claims the contrary is true: it was attempting to extend the life of its products. Apple later offered inexpensive replacement batteries for iPhone 6 and later models.
There are two wider difficulties here: one is the speed with which gadgets become obsolete as they become unable to handle the latest and most powerful software updates that power them.
These updates, according to the tech companies, are necessary to keep devices secure and performing at their best, but they quickly outpace older technology, such as slower CPUs and lower-power batteries.
The second reason is that as batteries age, they require more frequent charging. The more powerful a portable device develops, the more power-hungry it becomes. A lithium-ion battery has a typical life of 500charge cycles.
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