Apple will pay $250 million to settle a class-action lawsuit accusing it of false advertising and unfair competition when it launched the iPhone 16 after its much-hyped personalized Siri feature was delayed. At the WWDC conference in June 2024, Apple demonstrated an intelligent version of Siri based on Apple Intelligence technology, and vigorously promoted these features through advertisements and videos when the iPhone 16 was released in September 2024. However, Apple withdrew related ads after announcing in March 2025 that it would postpone Siri’s Apple Intelligence feature, but these ads had been running for several months.
The lawsuit claims that Apple violated consumer protection laws by misleading consumers about the actual performance and functionality of Apple Intelligence, causing them to purchase devices with "features that either did not exist or were grossly misrepresented." Although Apple has not been found guilty of any wrongdoing, the company sometimes chooses to settle to reduce the cost and time of litigation. The settlement agreement was reached in December last year and the terms of the settlement have now taken effect.
Apple said in a statement that the company settled the case to focus on its products and services, and reiterated that it has launched multiple Apple Intelligence features since 2024. The statement mentioned: "Since Apple Since the launch of Intelligence, we have launched dozens of features in multiple languages that are integrated into Apple’s platforms, relevant to users’ daily operations, and with privacy protections built into every step. These features include visual intelligence, real-time translation, writing tools, Genmoji expression generation, cleaning tools, and more. Apple has reached a settlement agreement to resolve the availability of two additional features. related claims. We settled this matter to focus on what we do best – delivering the most innovative products and services to our users.”
Under the settlement agreement, Apple’s $250 million payout will provide U.S. Settlement Class members who submit a claim form $25 per eligible device, which could increase to $95 per device if the number of claims is lower. Eligible devices include iPhone 16, iPhone 16e, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, iPhone 16 Pro Max, iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Max models purchased between June 10, 2024 and March 29, 2025. The settlement has received preliminary approval and users who qualify for a claim will begin receiving email notifications no more than 45 days from today.