- Apple has lost a class action lawsuit worth $250 million
- The case concerns delayed Apple Intelligence features affecting Siri
- If you qualify, you can get up to $95 per unit
Disappointingly, Apple’s much-hyped Apple Intelligence overhaul has been plagued by delays, leaving its Siri virtual assistant feeling rather toothless. But some users complained they felt tricked into buying an iPhone that arrived without any of the promoted features available — and they just won a massive payout from Apple.
That’s because settlement details for a class-action lawsuit involving Apple have just emerged, and the final figure is $250 million. If you are eligible for compensation from the mammoth fine, you can have up to $95 per unit.
At the time, the suit alleged that Apple had promoted “AI capabilities that did not exist at the time, do not exist now, and will not exist for two or more years.” It also claimed that Apple’s Siri ads “saturated the Internet, television and other airwaves to cultivate a clear and reasonable consumer expectation that these transformative features would be available upon the release of the iPhone.”
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Apple did not settle the case until December 2025, but the details of the compensation have only just emerged. Affected users must pay $25 per unit, but it can rise to $95 per unit if the number of claims ends up being low.
To be eligible, you must have purchased an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone between June 10, 2024 and March 29, 2025. That includes the iPhone 16 series, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max. You must also have purchased your iPhone in the US.
To make a claim, you must submit proof that you purchased a qualifying unit. This may include a serial number, Apple account information, and a mobile phone number. Apple will begin inviting claims within 45 days of May 5, 2026.
A costly situation
Back at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June 2024, Apple showcased its artificial intelligence (AI) system – called Apple Intelligence – and explained how it would revolutionize all the best iPhones. Planned features included better contextual awareness and the ability to take action in other apps. And importantly, Apple included these improvements in its marketing materials for the iPhone 16 series that arrived later that year.
For some users, these ads and marketing pitches implied that buying one of these phones would get you the promised Apple Intelligence upgrades. Still, Apple has had to push back many of these features, leaving its phones without several of the most advanced weapons in the Apple Intelligence arsenal.
It has proven very costly for the company, and not just in financial terms, as Apple Intelligence is widely seen to be lagging behind rivals such as ChatGPT and Gemini. The delayed Siri features are expected to arrive in iOS 27, which will debut at WWDC on June 8, and TechRadar’s own Lance Ulanoff believes it will be Apple’s last chance to make up lost ground against its rivals.
In a statement to 9to5Mac, Apple remained in a defiant mood, saying: “Since the launch of Apple Intelligence, we’ve introduced dozens of features across many languages that are integrated across Apple’s platforms, relevant to what users do every day, and built with privacy protection at every step. These include Visual Intelligence, Live Translation, Writing Tools, Genmoji.
“Apple has entered into a settlement to resolve claims related to the availability of two additional features,” the company continued. “We settled this case to stay focused on doing what we do best and providing the most innovative products and services to our users.”
But Apple will have to do more than talk when WWDC rolls around, as users already seem to be abandoning Apple Intelligence. If it doesn’t live up to its Siri promises, a $250 million lawsuit might be the least of its worries.
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