Apple ordered to pay $250 million to iPhone users over Siri AI features that never arrived

Nearly two years later, some of those headline Siri features still haven’t fully arrived. As a result of that, Apple has agreed to pay USD 250 million (around Rs 2,379 crore) to settle a class-action lawsuit in the US that accused the company of misleading consumers through its Apple Intelligence marketing campaign.

The lawsuit claimed Apple promoted AI capabilities that either did not yet exist or were significantly delayed, creating the impression that buyers would get the upgraded Siri experience shortly after purchasing an iPhone 16 or compatible iPhone 15 Pro model. Plaintiffs argued the marketing campaign encouraged customers to spend more on newer devices based on features that were unavailable at launch. However, despite agreeing to pay, Apple has not admitted any wrongdoing as part of the settlement.

The “intelligent Siri” that never arrived

At the centre of the case was the more advanced Siri experience Apple showcased during WWDC 2024 before heavily promoting it again during the iPhone 16 launch cycle. The company demonstrated a Siri assistant capable of understanding personal context, moving more intelligently between apps, and handling natural conversations in a way older versions could not. Two years later, it’s still nowhere to be seen.

To Apple’s credit, several Apple Intelligence features have arrived over time though. Writing Tools, Genmoji, image generation, Clean Up, Visual Intelligence, ChatGPT integration, and Live Translation gradually rolled out across supported devices. But the upgraded Siri experience has remained the most visible missing piece, eventually forcing Apple to delay some features and quietly pull advertisements that had been running for months.

In a statement shared with multiple outlets, Apple said, “Since the launch of Apple Intelligence, we have 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 protections at every step. These include Visual Intelligence, Live Translation, Writing Tools, Genmoji, Clean Up and many more. Apple has reached a settlement to resolve claims related to the availability of two additional features. We resolved this matter to stay focused on doing what we do best, delivering the most innovative products and services to our users.”

The delays became harder to ignore because the broader smartphone market was moving aggressively into AI at the same time. Samsung rapidly expanded Galaxy AI across its flagship lineup, while Google pushed Gemini-powered features deeper into Pixel phones and Android services. Against that backdrop, Apple’s rollout started feeling slower and more fragmented than its original presentation suggested.

Am I eligible to get compensation from Apple?

The settlement applies to US customers only, covering roughly 37 million eligible devices sold between June 10th, 2024 and March 29th, 2025. If you’re based in India or outside the US, this settlement does not apply to you.

For US customers, eligible devices include the iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPhone 16, iPhone 16e, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max purchased within the qualifying window. If you bought one of these phones in that period, you may be entitled to a payment of between USD 25 (around Rs 2,400) and USD 95 (around Rs 9,000) per device. The final amount depends on how many people file claims, the fewer the claims, the higher the individual payout, up to the USD 95 ceiling.

Eligible customers will receive notice by email or standard mail with instructions on how to submit a claim through a dedicated settlement website, within 45 days of the preliminary approval.