Apple has agreed to pay $250 million to settle a US class action lawsuit over claims that it overstated the availability of AI-powered Siri features when marketing its latest iPhones.
The proposed settlement, filed for court approval, covers eligible US customers who bought iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, iPhone 16 Pro Max, iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Max devices between June 10, 2024, and March 29, 2025. Payments are expected to range from about $25 to $95 per device, depending on how many valid claims are submitted and how legal and administrative costs are deducted from the fund.
Apple has not admitted wrongdoing. The company has maintained that the settlement resolves claims involving two delayed Siri features and said it remains focused on delivering Apple Intelligence capabilities across its devices. The agreement still requires judicial approval before affected consumers can receive compensation.
The lawsuit centred on Apple’s promotion of a more personalised Siri as part of Apple Intelligence, the company’s generative AI system unveiled at its Worldwide Developers Conference in June 2024. Apple presented a voice assistant capable of understanding personal context, recognising what was on a user’s screen and taking actions across apps. Demonstrations suggested Siri could retrieve information from emails, messages and files, help complete tasks inside apps, and respond more naturally to complex requests.
Those features were marketed as a key reason to buy Apple’s newest devices, especially the iPhone 16 line and premium iPhone 15 models fitted with chips capable of running Apple Intelligence. Plaintiffs argued that many customers either would not have bought those phones, or would have paid less, had they known that the most advanced Siri capabilities would not be available as expected.
Apple began rolling out parts of Apple Intelligence in stages, including writing tools, notification summaries, Genmoji, Image Playground and ChatGPT integration. The deeper Siri overhaul, however, slipped beyond the initial launch window. The company later acknowledged that the more personalised Siri experience was taking longer than expected and would be delivered in a future software update.
The delay became a high-profile setback for Apple as rivals accelerated their own AI strategies. Google has integrated Gemini more deeply across Android and Pixel devices, Samsung has expanded Galaxy AI features, and Amazon has been working to rebuild Alexa around generative AI. Apple’s approach has emphasised privacy, on-device processing and a custom cloud architecture, but the Siri delay exposed the difficulty of matching ambitious product demonstrations with reliable mass-market execution.
The case also underlined the growing legal risk around AI marketing. Technology companies have moved quickly to promote generative AI features, often before every promised function is fully available. Regulators, advertising watchdogs and consumers are now scrutinising whether claims about AI tools are precise, timely and adequately qualified.
Apple’s advertising around Apple Intelligence had already faced pressure after concerns were raised over language suggesting that some capabilities were available when they were still pending. The company removed or modified some promotional material tied to the delayed Siri functions, including an advertisement showing the assistant using personal context to answer a request.
For Apple, the $250 million settlement is financially manageable but reputationally awkward. The company has long positioned itself as a premium hardware and software maker whose features are tightly integrated and carefully controlled. Siri, once an early leader in voice assistance after its 2011 launch, has been criticised for years for lagging behind newer AI assistants in flexibility and understanding.
The settlement arrives as Apple prepares to outline the next phase of its software strategy. Expectations are high that the company will use its next developer conference to clarify the timetable for the delayed Siri capabilities and explain how Apple Intelligence will evolve across iPhone, iPad and Mac.
The proposed settlement, filed for court approval, covers eligible US customers who bought iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, iPhone 16 Pro Max, iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Max devices between June 10, 2024, and March 29, 2025. Payments are expected to range from about $25 to $95 per device, depending on how many valid claims are submitted and how legal and administrative costs are deducted from the fund.
Apple has not admitted wrongdoing. The company has maintained that the settlement resolves claims involving two delayed Siri features and said it remains focused on delivering Apple Intelligence capabilities across its devices. The agreement still requires judicial approval before affected consumers can receive compensation.
The lawsuit centred on Apple’s promotion of a more personalised Siri as part of Apple Intelligence, the company’s generative AI system unveiled at its Worldwide Developers Conference in June 2024. Apple presented a voice assistant capable of understanding personal context, recognising what was on a user’s screen and taking actions across apps. Demonstrations suggested Siri could retrieve information from emails, messages and files, help complete tasks inside apps, and respond more naturally to complex requests.
Those features were marketed as a key reason to buy Apple’s newest devices, especially the iPhone 16 line and premium iPhone 15 models fitted with chips capable of running Apple Intelligence. Plaintiffs argued that many customers either would not have bought those phones, or would have paid less, had they known that the most advanced Siri capabilities would not be available as expected.
Apple began rolling out parts of Apple Intelligence in stages, including writing tools, notification summaries, Genmoji, Image Playground and ChatGPT integration. The deeper Siri overhaul, however, slipped beyond the initial launch window. The company later acknowledged that the more personalised Siri experience was taking longer than expected and would be delivered in a future software update.
The delay became a high-profile setback for Apple as rivals accelerated their own AI strategies. Google has integrated Gemini more deeply across Android and Pixel devices, Samsung has expanded Galaxy AI features, and Amazon has been working to rebuild Alexa around generative AI. Apple’s approach has emphasised privacy, on-device processing and a custom cloud architecture, but the Siri delay exposed the difficulty of matching ambitious product demonstrations with reliable mass-market execution.
The case also underlined the growing legal risk around AI marketing. Technology companies have moved quickly to promote generative AI features, often before every promised function is fully available. Regulators, advertising watchdogs and consumers are now scrutinising whether claims about AI tools are precise, timely and adequately qualified.
Apple’s advertising around Apple Intelligence had already faced pressure after concerns were raised over language suggesting that some capabilities were available when they were still pending. The company removed or modified some promotional material tied to the delayed Siri functions, including an advertisement showing the assistant using personal context to answer a request.
For Apple, the $250 million settlement is financially manageable but reputationally awkward. The company has long positioned itself as a premium hardware and software maker whose features are tightly integrated and carefully controlled. Siri, once an early leader in voice assistance after its 2011 launch, has been criticised for years for lagging behind newer AI assistants in flexibility and understanding.
The settlement arrives as Apple prepares to outline the next phase of its software strategy. Expectations are high that the company will use its next developer conference to clarify the timetable for the delayed Siri capabilities and explain how Apple Intelligence will evolve across iPhone, iPad and Mac.
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