Apple has agreed to a $250 million settlement to resolve a U.S. consumer class action that accused the company of misleading buyers about the artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities of its Siri voice assistant, according to court filings made public last week. <cite index="5-18">The settlement was filed for preliminary court approval on Tuesday, with a final hearing set for June 17.</cite>
<cite index="4-3">The lawsuit, filed by Peter Landsheft in U.S. federal court in California in 2024, arose after the iPhone maker announced – and started running advertisements for – a bevy of AI upgrades at its annual software developer conference in 2024, saying they would become available with new iPhones that fall.</cite> <cite index="5-16,5-17">The class-action suit was filed in federal court in the Northern District of California by Clarkson Law Firm, a public interest litigation firm. Apple agreed to settle the case in December, and the full settlement terms became public this week.</cite>
Allegations and class definition
<cite index="2-12,2-13">The now-settled class-action lawsuit accused Apple of promoting "AI capabilities that did not exist at the time, do not exist now, and will not exist for two or more years." It was also said that Apple's advertisements "saturated the internet, television, and other airwaves to cultivate a clear and reasonable consumer expectation that these transformative features would be available upon the iPhone's release."</cite>
<cite index="3-8">Court filings show the settlement would apply to U.S. consumers who purchased eligible iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, or iPhone 16 models between June 10, 2024, and March 29, 2025.</cite> The plaintiffs' theory of harm was that buyers paid a price premium for devices in expectation of AI features that did not ship.
Payout structure
<cite index="5-7,5-8">Settlement class members who submit claim forms will receive a base payment of $25 per eligible device, though that figure could increase to as much as $95 per device if claim volume is low. The $250 million fund also covers attorneys' fees and administrative costs, which reduces the pool available for direct consumer payouts.</cite> <cite index="5-10,5-11">Notices to eligible claimants will go out by email within 45 days of the settlement's preliminary approval. To submit a claim, device owners will need to provide proof of purchase, the serial number of the eligible device, their phone number and Apple Account information.</cite>
Apple's position
<cite index="5-19,5-20,5-21">Apple is not admitting any wrongdoing. "Apple has reached a settlement to resolve claims related to the availability of two additional features," an Apple spokesperson said in a statement. "We resolved this matter to stay focused on doing what we do best, delivering the most innovative products and services to our users."</cite>
<cite index="5-15">After Apple delayed the Siri Apple Intelligence features in March 2025, the company pulled its ads — but they had been running for several months at that point.</cite> The delayed capabilities, which were intended to give Siri contextual awareness and on-device app actions comparable to large language model (LLM)–powered assistants such as ChatGPT and Claude, have not yet shipped. <cite index="2-15">They are expected to roll out with the iOS 27 update, which is set to debut at WWDC 2026 on June 8.</cite>
Remaining exposure
Apple's litigation risk over the Siri rollout is not fully closed. <cite index="5-22,5-23,5-24">According to court filings, a separate shareholder class-action led by South Korea's National Pension Service — the world's third-largest pension fund — alleges that Apple's AI delays caused billions of dollars in investor losses. Apple moved to have that case dismissed in February, calling the plaintiff's argument an unsupported leap. The court has not yet ruled.</cite>
The settlement is among the first major U.S. consumer cases to attach a monetary value to AI feature pre-announcements, and may inform how device makers and software vendors disclose roadmap items that depend on future model availability.