Apple to pay $250 million to iPhone owners over undelivered AI Siri

Apple has agreed to pay $250 million in a class-action lawsuit in which the company is accused of misleading consumers about the availability of Apple Intelligence features on flagship smartphones.

Who Can Get Compensation

The payments will affect owners of iPhone 16 and iPhone 15 Pro who purchased devices between June 10, 2024 and March 29, 2025 in the US. This is a fairly narrow window — just 9.5 months, but it was during this period that active promotion of new models with Apple Intelligence took place. Each device owner can receive $25 per device — this is the minimum amount set by the court. But the compensation amount may change depending on how many claims are filed. According to information from the law firm Clarkson Law Firm, representing the plaintiffs, each payment could increase to $95 per device if the number of claims is lower than expected.

Why Apple Went to Court

The lawsuit was filed in 2025 with accusations of false advertising. The plaintiffs argued that Apple presented Apple Intelligence features as available immediately after purchase, but in reality their implementation fell significantly behind. A notable gap opened between the promises of the marketing team and engineering reality. Many owners of iPhone 16 and iPhone 15 Pro who bought smartphones under the promise of a new AI assistant found that the features were unavailable or did not work as promised in advertising materials. This created a situation where consumers paid premium prices for promised capabilities that did not materialize on time.

• Apple actively advertised Apple Intelligence when launching iPhone 16
• In reality, access to features was significantly delayed
• Consumers demanded compensation for being misled
• The court agreed with the plaintiffs' position and approved the payments

How Much the Settlement Will Cost Apple

The total amount of payments is $250 million. This is a significant sum in absolute terms, but for Apple it is approximately one week of net profit. However, what matters here is not the payment amount itself, but the legal precedent and reputational damage.

If each device owner receives the base amount of $25, then mathematics suggests that the lawsuit covers approximately 10 million devices — this is an approximate calculation based on preliminary estimates. If fewer claims are filed, each will receive up to $95. For Apple this is not the first such case in recent years, but it clearly shows that even technology giants must live up to their promises or pay for it.

Consumers are becoming increasingly demanding of AI marketing, and class-action lawsuits are the new reality for large companies.

What This Means

This lawsuit is yet another reminder that feature promises must match reality, especially when it comes to selling expensive equipment. For the industry, this is a signal: when marketing AI capabilities, you must be more careful, otherwise you face lawsuits and substantial payments. Apple is not alone in this — other manufacturers and services will be more careful about their promises.