Certain iPhone owners are one step closer to receiving their share of Apple's $250M settlement
The next step is to submit a claim using the online form expected to be included in the upcoming website.
Class-Action suit related to Siri delays moves step closer to splitting $250M | Image by PhoneArena
Back in May, we told you that Apple's $250 million class-action settlement over the delay of Siri AI still required preliminary approval by the court. If you recall, each eligible iPhone owner could receive as much as $95 for their share of the settlement. Today, we have some good news to report.
Apple promoted new features for Siri that were not yet available for iPhone users
A judge has signed off on a preliminary approval of the $250 million settlement in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. The next step is the creation of a settlement website through which claims will be submitted. This means more waiting for the members of the class, but hey, they should be used to waiting.
After all, this case is about Apple promoting Siri AI and Apple Intelligence starting in June 2024 during that year's WWDC keynote. This new version of Siri, called Siri AI, was not released to iPhone users until June 2026, when it became available to eligible iPhone models with the release of the iOS 27 beta. Most users with an eligible iPhone won't receive Siri AI until September, when the stable version of iOS 27 will be dropped by Apple.
Apple promoted "Personal Siri" starting with the WWDC 2024 keynote
During the WWDC 2024 keynote announcement, Apple explained how AI-powered Siri would be able to access information stored on an iPhone in email, messages, podcasts, calendar, photos, and other apps. This would allow Siri to answer questions such as:
- "Play the podcast that Pierre recommended to me."
- "When is Mom's flight landing?"
- "What time do I need to leave to pick up Mom from the airport?" (Live data would be used to calculate the correct answer).
After that keynote, Apple continued to promote the AI-powered Siri, even creating a television ad in September 2024 for "Personal Siri" starring British actress Bella Ramsey. In that spot, Ramsey played someone at a gathering when she saw someone across the room waving at her. While she remembers his face, she can't recall his name.
Bella Ramsey starred in the More Personal Siri ad that Apple subsequently pulled. | Image by Apple
Before talking with him, Ramsey secretly activates Siri and asks, "Siri, what's the name of the guy I had a meeting with a couple months ago at Cafe Grenel?" Going through Ramsey's Mail, Calendar, and Messages apps, Siri responds with the man's name, allowing her to greet him by his first name, Zac. You should keep in mind that the features Apple promoted in this ad were not available at the time the ad ran, and eventually, Apple was forced to pull it.
Apple embarrasses itself by announcing a significant delay in AI-powered Siri in 2025
With iPhone users excited to have such a powerful new version of Siri on their devices, the tech giant announced in March 2025 that the new-look AI-powered Siri was indefinitely delayed. At the time, Apple's Robbie Walker, the human in charge of Siri at Apple, called the delays embarrassing. Things might have been more embarrassing in February of this year when another delay was announced.
Currently, those with an iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, the iPhone 16 series, and the iPhone 17 series can install the iOS 27 beta updates and test out Siri AI. Only those with the latest iPhone 17 series have the ability to customize Siri's voice. I do have the iOS 27 beta running on my iPhone 15 Pro Max, and as someone who uses Gemini all of the time to answer queries and set alarms and timers on my Pixel 6 Pro, this is my current opinion of Siri AI:
- Apple iPhone users used to dealing with Siri who were pawned off to the web to answer questions, are going to love it.
- Siri routes the most complex queries to Gemini while most requests go through Apple's own on-device and cloud models. Having said that, Siri AI is not yet up to Gemini's standards.
- If you want better AI on the iPhone, install the Gemini or ChatGPT apps for iOS from the App Store.
Who can file a claim against Apple?
Apple was sued by consumers who allegedly purchased an iPhone on the basis of the aforementioned announcements and ads that the company made that promoted AI-powered Siri, only to have the feature delayed. Once the website launches, allowing eligible iPhone buyers to submit a claim, those who bought any iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 16 model between June 10, 2024, and March 29, 2025, will be able to take part in the suit.
The settlement calls for each claimant to receive $25 from Apple, but if fewer claims are received than expected, that figure can go as high as $95. Just like Siri AI took longer to see the light of day than hoped for, the class-action website with an online claims form could be months away. Waiting for the website to go live is your next step.
Now that the settlement has received preliminary approval, members of the class should receive a letter within the next 45 days. If you don't receive a letter, don't worry. If you live in the US and meet the criteria we mentioned two paragraphs above, you'll still be able to file a claim when the website goes online.
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