Anyone who’s ever had to pay for a replacement cell phone, smart or otherwise, has tried the “But I swear, I didn’t get it wet!” argument when that little strip is pink, instead of white. But a new settlement has Apple paying out $53 million to customers who claimed the company didn’t honor warranties on iPhones and iPod Touches, all becuse of those pesky damage indicators.

It all goes back to the little white-to-pink strips, notes Wired.com. Customers claimed Apple wouldn’t fix or replace their misbehaving devices under the company’s one-year standard, or two-year extended warranty.

See, Apple would refuse to deliver on warranties if the white strip near the headphone or charging part had changed its hue to pink or red. But then the tape’s maker, 3M, chimed in and said simple humidity could cause the color to change. It wouldn’t have had to be dumped in a glass of water/beer/toilet water.

Customers included in the lawsuit could get around $200 in payouts for their iPhone, iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, and the first-, second and third-generation iPod Touch.

Apple hasn’t admitted wrongdoing in the settlement, which still needs to be approved by a judge.

Apple Warranty Settlement

Apple Agrees to Pay $53M to Settle iPhone Warranty Lawsuit [Wired.com]

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