Apple has agreed to pay $250 million to settle a class action lawsuit accusing it of having deceived millions of iPhone buyers by touting at the end of 2024 the artificial intelligence capabilities of its voice assistant Siri which did not exist, according to the agreement submitted Tuesday for court approval.
The plaintiffs accused the Californian giant of having “promoted AI capabilities which did not exist at the material time, do not exist today, and will not exist for two years or more”, in order to stimulate iPhone sales, recalls the document, consulted by AFP.
The American advertising regulator, the Better Business Bureau’s National Advertising Division, also concluded that Apple had falsely led people to believe that the new AI-powered Siri was “available now”
The agreement, which does not include any admission of fault on the part of Apple, covers some 36 million eligible devices — the iPhone 16, as well as the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max — purchased in the United States between June 10, 2024 and March 29, 2025. Each member of this “class action” could receive $25 per device, an amount likely to reach $95 depending on the volume of approved applicants.
“We resolved this matter to stay focused on what we do best: providing the most innovative products and services to our users,” Apple responded to the Financial Times.
A Morgan Stanley survey, cited in the complaint, indicated that “enhanced Siri” was the Apple Intelligence feature that potential iPhone buyers were most looking forward to.
Apple had launched a vast advertising campaign in 2024 to promote these capabilities, before confirming their postponement indefinitely and withdrawing its advertisements.
The agreement must still be approved by Judge Noël Wise, of the federal court for the Northern District of California, during a hearing set for June 17, 2026. The plaintiffs’ lawyers could receive up to 28% of the fund, or $70 million.
