Cheating husband sues Apple after wife discovers ‘deleted’ messages sent to sex workers

Apple is to be sued by a businessman after ‘deleted’ messages he sent to sex workers were found by his wife on another device.

The cheating husband, who has not been named but is believed to be a middle-aged man from England, claims Apple’s lack of transparency over deleted messages led his wife to file for divorce.

He told the Times that he turned to prostitutes in the later years of his marriage and contacted them through the iMessage app on his iPhone before deleting the text messages.

But the messages were eventually discovered by his wife on the family iMac computer, along with messages dating back several years that he thought he had deleted.

Lawsuit for £5m

“If you are told that a post is deleted, you have the right to believe that it is deleted,” he told the Times newspaper.

“It’s all quite painful and still quite raw. It was a very brutal way to find out (for my wife).

“I think if I had been able to talk to her rationally and she hadn’t had such a sudden realization, I might still be married.”

He added: “Divorce is an extremely stressful process and you have children and family dynamics.

“In my opinion, it’s because Apple told me my messages were deleted when they weren’t.

“If the message had said, ‘These messages are deleted on this device,’ that would have been a clue, or ‘These messages are deleted on this device only,’ that would have been even better. »

He is currently pursuing legal action against the company for the more than £5 million he lost in his divorce and legal costs, claiming the company does not clearly explain to customers that deleted messages may appear on other Apple devices.

Simon Walton, of the London law firm Rosenblatt which represents the businessman, told the Telegraph that “Apple has not been clear with users about what happens to the messages they send and receive and, above all, that they suppress.”

“In many cases, the iPhone informs the user that the messages have been deleted but, as we have seen, this is not true and is misleading because they are still on other linked devices – this that Apple doesn’t tell its users,” he said.

“I would like to hear from other Apple customers who have experienced similar issues,” he added.

Apple has been contacted by the Telegraph for comment.

Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving deals and more.