Lifestyle

Apple Settles Fake Siri Lawsuit for $250M — Check If You Qualify For Payment

By Mike Harper · May 7, 2026

Apple ran ads showing Siri scheduling appointments, summarizing notifications, and managing personal context with a sophistication the assistant has never actually had. The ads ran for months. The features didn’t ship. And now Apple is paying $250 million to the people who bought iPhones expecting them.

A federal class action settlement reached in December and granted preliminary approval May 5 covers roughly 37 million devices sold in the United States — all iPhone 16 models and the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max — purchased between June 10, 2024 and March 29, 2025. If you bought one of those devices during that window, you are likely eligible for a payment of $25 per device, potentially rising to $95 if claim volume is low.

The lawsuit alleged that Apple “promoted AI capabilities that did not exist at the time, do not exist now, and will not exist for two or more years” — and that it “saturated the internet, television, and other airwaves” with ads creating the clear expectation that the features would be available at launch. They weren’t. In March 2025, Apple confirmed the personalized Siri overhaul would take significantly longer than planned, then quietly pulled its ads. By that point, millions of consumers had already bought the devices.

Plaintiffs estimated damages at more than $2 billion based on the price premium buyers paid for promised features that never arrived. Apple settled for $250 million — a fraction of that estimate — while denying wrongdoing. The final approval hearing is scheduled for June 17, 2026.

Who qualifies:

U.S. residents who purchased any of the following devices between June 10, 2024 and March 29, 2025: iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPhone 16, iPhone 16e, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, or iPhone 16 Pro Max. The device must have been purchased in the United States. Business purchases may be excluded depending on the final settlement terms.

What you need to do — and when:

Unlike the Capital One or Google Android settlements, this one requires a claim form. The claim website is not yet live. Eligible customers will receive notice by email or mail within 45 days of the preliminary approval date — meaning notices should begin going out in mid-to-late June 2026. That notice will include instructions and a claim ID for submitting your payment request.

If you purchased an eligible device but don’t receive a notice within 60 days, check the official settlement website — which will be announced publicly once it launches — or contact the Clarkson Law Firm, which filed the original lawsuit, at clarksonlawfirm.com.

How much you’ll actually get:

Starting payout is $25 per device. That figure rises or falls based on total claim volume. With approximately 37 million eligible devices, the realistic per-device payout will likely land closer to $25 than $95 — the $95 ceiling is only achievable if a relatively small percentage of eligible owners file claims. File when the website opens regardless. The amount is determined by the math of participation, not by how quickly you file.

The upgraded Siri that Apple originally promised still doesn’t exist. The company says it’s expected to arrive with iOS 27, previewed at WWDC on June 8.