Share Apple has agreed to pay $250 million to settle a major class-action lawsuit in the US, following allegations it misled consumers over the AI capabilities of its latest iPhones. The settlement, filed on Tuesday in a California federal court, addresses claims that Apple engaged in false advertising by touting a revolutionary, AI-powered version of its Siri voice assistant that wasn’t actually available to users . The legal challenge centred on Apple’s 2024 marketing campaign for “Apple Intelligence,” which promised to transform Siri from a basic voice interface into a sophisticated personal AI assistant . Plaintiffs accused the company of “falsely touting” these capabilities to boost sales of the iPhone 16, as well as the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max models . According to the complaint, Apple promoted breakthrough innovations that “did not exist at the time, do not exist now, and will not exist for two or more years” . The lawsuit further alleged that Apple launched this deceptive campaign specifically to regain ground in the competitive AI race against rivals including OpenAI and Anthropic . While the settlement includes no admission of wrongdoing, it offers financial restitution to roughly 36 million eligible device owners in the US. This includes c onsumers who purchased an iPhone 15 Pro, 15 Pro Max, or any iPhone 16 model between June 10, 2024, and March 29, 2025 . Each class member is expected to receive a minimum of $25 per device, though that sum could climb as high as $95 depending on the final number of approved claimants . The US advertising watchdog, the Better Business Bureau’s National Advertising Division, supported the plaintiffs’ narrative, concluding that Apple’s marketing falsely suggested the new Siri was “available now” . In reality, the iPhone 16 was delivered without the promised AI features, and the “Enhanced Siri” has still not been fully released nearly two years after its initial announcement . Apple maintains that the dispute focused on the availability of only a few specific features within a larger rollout . A company spokesperson stated that the matter was resolved so Apple could “stay focused on what we do best: delivering the most innovative products and services to our users” . The settlement now awaits final approval from a federal judge at a hearing scheduled for June 17 . For latest tech stories go to TechDigest.tv Share this: