An article summarized by TechCrunch:
Apple has agreed to pay $250 million to settle a class action lawsuit over claims it overstated the capabilities of its AI features ahead of the iPhone 16 launch. The lawsuit argued that Apple’s marketing around “Apple Intelligence,” particularly upgrades to Siri, gave consumers the impression that advanced AI tools would be available sooner and more fully developed than they actually were.
Plaintiffs claimed that customers who purchased the iPhone 15 or 16 believed they were getting cutting-edge AI functionality that was either incomplete or delayed at the time of purchase. The case framed this as false advertising, alleging that Apple’s messaging influenced buying decisions based on features that had not yet materialized, especially improvements to Siri meant to rival modern AI assistants.
Apple denied any wrongdoing but chose to settle rather than continue litigation. Under the agreement, eligible U.S. customers who bought the devices during a specific timeframe could receive up to $95 per device. The settlement comes as Apple prepares to unveil further updates to its AI ecosystem, including a more advanced version of Siri, at its upcoming developer conference.
