Apple to Pay $250 Million to iPhone Users over Siri AI Misleading Ads
Apple has reached a $250 million settlement over claims of misleading AI advertising for iPhone 15 and 16 models. US buyers may be eligible for up to $95 per device after "Siri AI" features failed to launch as promised.
Tech giant Apple has agreed to a massive $250 million settlement following a class-action lawsuit that accused the company of misleading consumers about the AI capabilities of its latest smartphones. The settlement, filed Tuesday in California federal court, marks one of the largest legal payouts in the company’s history regarding product advertising.
The "Vaporware" Claims
The lawsuit centered on Apple’s high-profile 2024 marketing campaign for the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 series. At the time, Apple heavily promoted a "more personalized" Siri powered by Apple Intelligence, claiming the assistant would be able to pull context from emails, messages, and apps to perform complex tasks.
Plaintiffs argued that these headline features, most notably shown in a series of TV ads starring actress Bella Ramsey, did not exist at launch and were repeatedly delayed throughout late 2024 and early 2025.
The lawsuit labeled the promised features "vaporware," claiming Apple rushed the marketing to compete with AI rivals like OpenAI and Anthropic while the technology was still months or years away from being ready.
Who is Eligible for Payouts?
The settlement applies to nearly 36 million devices purchased in the United States. To be eligible, users must have purchased an iPhone 15 Pro, 15 Pro Max, or any iPhone 16 model between June 10, 2024, and March 29, 2025.
Apple’s Response
While Apple agreed to the payout, the company has officially denied any wrongdoing. In a statement, Apple clarified that it settled the matter to avoid a lengthy legal battle and "stay focused on delivering the most innovative products."
The company also pointed out that many Apple Intelligence features, such as Writing Tools and Live Translation, were indeed delivered on time. However, the advanced Siri features that sparked the lawsuit are now expected to be powered by Google’s Gemini or Anthropic’s Claude, with a new rollout timeline slated for late 2026.