Apple Is Paying $250 Million to iPhone Owners Who Bought a Siri That Didn't Work. Here's How to Claim Yours.

Apple Promised a Revolutionary AI Assistant. It Delivered the Same Old Siri. Now It's Paying for It.

Apple settled a $250 million class-action lawsuit Tuesday over false advertising of its artificial intelligence capabilities — specifically, the AI-powered Siri features it promised when it launched the iPhone 16 in 2024 and still hasn't fully delivered two years later. If you bought one of the eligible devices, you're entitled to between $25 and $95 per device. Here's the full breakdown.

📱 What the Lawsuit Was Actually About

The trouble traces back to Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference in June 2024. On stage, Apple unveiled Apple Intelligence and showed off a dramatically upgraded Siri — one that could handle complex in-app tasks, understand personal context, and respond with far greater sophistication than the version that had been frustrating users for years.

Those capabilities featured heavily in television advertisements and online campaigns that ran through the iPhone 16 launch window in September 2024. Apple trumpeted new AI features for its virtual assistant Siri when it rolled out the iPhone 16 in 2024. Buyers had every reason to expect the features would ship with their new handsets.

They didn't. The company has been scrambling to keep up with tech rivals amid the AI boom but still hasn't delivered on the Siri revamp two years later. By March 2025, Apple confirmed the personalized Siri overhaul would take significantly longer than planned.

The lawsuit alleged Apple violated consumer protection laws by advertising AI features that did not yet exist, misleading buyers into purchasing devices on the basis of capabilities that were never delivered. Apple's statement on the settlement was characteristically terse: "We resolved this matter to stay focused on doing what we do best, delivering the most innovative products and services to our users." The upgraded Siri assistant remains unavailable. Apple is expected to finally deliver it with iOS 27, previewed at WWDC on June 8.

✅ Do You Qualify? Here's the Checklist

The settlement covers people who purchased an iPhone 16 model, iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Max between June 10, 2024, and March 29, 2025.

The full list of covered devices:

• iPhone 16
• iPhone 16 Plus
• iPhone 16 Pro
• iPhone 16 Pro Max
• iPhone 16e
• iPhone 15 Pro
• iPhone 15 Pro Max

The purchase must have been made in the United States. Approximately 37 million iPhone owners are eligible, according to the court filing.

You don't qualify if you bought a standard iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, or any earlier model. The settlement specifically covers devices that were marketed with the Apple Intelligence AI feature set.

💰 How Much Will You Actually Get?

The honest answer: it depends on how many people file claims.

The settlement will provide class members who timely submit approved claims with a presumptive per-device payment of $25 for each eligible device, which may decrease or increase up to $95 per device, depending on claim volume and other factors.

The math works like this: the $250 million settlement fund is divided among all approved claims. If relatively few people file — as typically happens with consumer class actions, where most eligible participants never bother — the per-device payout rises toward $95. If everyone who is eligible actually files, the payout approaches $25.

History suggests most people won't bother. Which means the people who do file will likely receive considerably more than the floor.

💡 The actionable tip: The fewer people who file, the more you get. Filing takes minutes. The settlement administrator website is not yet live, but when it is, you will need your device serial number and Apple Account information. Customers will be notified by email or mail that they can file a claim. If you want to be proactive, locate your serial number now in Settings → General → About.

⚠️ Scam warning: Do not enter your serial number or Apple Account information into any third-party website claiming to be the settlement administrator. Settlement scams launch within hours of announcements like this one. The only legitimate claims process will come through the official administrator link sent directly to your email or mailed to your address. Wait for that official communication before submitting anything.

⏰ What Happens Next and When

The settlement isn't yet final. It was filed for preliminary court approval on May 5, 2026, with a final hearing set for June 17. The presiding judge must approve it before any money changes hands.

Assuming approval — which is expected given both parties have agreed — the claims process will open after June 17. A settlement administrator website will be created with forms and submission requirements. Apple will also notify eligible customers by email or mail.

There's no deadline yet for submissions. One will be set when the administrator website launches.

🔭 The Bigger Picture: Apple's AI Problem

For Apple investors, the settlement's financially negligible. Apple posted $416 billion in revenue during its fiscal year ending September 2025. The $250 million settlement represents roughly 0.06% of that annual figure. It's a rounding error on the income statement.

What's not a rounding error is the reputational and competitive damage from being the company that promised the most transformative AI upgrade in smartphone history and then quietly admitted it wasn't ready — twice. Samsung, Google, and Microsoft have all shipped meaningful AI integrations in the same period. Apple's still promising.

The settlement also arrives at a symbolically significant moment: John Ternus takes over as CEO in September, inheriting a company whose biggest product narrative of the past two years has ended in a $250 million false advertising settlement. Whether intentional or not, settling now effectively clears the decks for the Ternus era — closing out one of the most embarrassing chapters of the Cook years before the new leadership begins.

The settlement doesn't close the book on Apple's AI liability. A separate class action brought by South Korea's National Pension Service alleges the company's misleading AI claims triggered significant shareholder losses. Apple moved to have that case dismissed in February 2026. The court hasn't yet ruled.

WWDC on June 8 — where iOS 27 and the long-delayed Siri upgrade are expected to be previewed — is now the most important product event Apple has staged since the original iPhone. Apple's been promising this Siri overhaul for two years, and given that track record, "preview" is the right word rather than "delivery." If the features finally work as promised, the settlement becomes a minor footnote. If they disappoint again, it won't be the last $250 million Apple pays.

Sources

• PBS NewsHour / AP — "Some iPhone owners could get up to $95 after Apple agrees to settle case for $250 million": https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/some-iphone-owners-could-get-up-to-95-after-apple-agrees-to-settle-case-for-250-million
• CBS News — "iPhone owners could get up to $95 from Apple settlement. Here's what to know": https://www.cbsnews.com/news/apple-iphone-settlement-95-payment-how-to-claim/
• Tom's Guide — "Apple $250 million settlement: how to get your payment and when they're going out": https://www.tomsguide.com/phones/iphones/apple-usd250-million-settlement-how-to-get-your-payment-and-when-theyre-going-out
• ABC News / AP — "Apple's $250 million class-action settlement paves way for payouts to iPhone owners": https://abcnews.com/GMA/News/apples-250-million-class-action-settlement-paves-payouts/story?id=132706335
• IBTimes UK — "Apple To Pay $250m In Siri Lawsuit — Who Qualifies And How Much You Could Get": https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/apple-settles-siri-ai-lawsuit-1795381
• TechTimes — "Apple To Pay $250m In Siri Lawsuit — Who Qualifies And How Much You Could Get": https://www.techtimes.com/articles/316380/20260506/apple-pay-250m-siri-lawsuit-who-qualifies-how-much-you-could-get.htm

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