Apple’s $250 million settlement over its delayed Siri features pays a presumptive $25 per eligible iPhone, and each payment can rise to a cap of $95 if fewer people claim than expected. It covers anyone who bought an iPhone 16, iPhone 16e, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, iPhone 16 Pro Max, iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Max in the US between June 10, 2024 and March 29, 2025.
Claims open when the court-appointed administrator, Verita Global, starts sending notices. Judge Noël Wise moved that start date in an order on August 28, and no public court record gives the new date, so watch for an email rather than a calendar date. Everything below comes from the preliminary approval order and the settlement papers in Landsheft v. Apple, in the Northern District of California.
What the case is about
The consolidated suits say Apple sold these iPhones on the promise of a more personal Siri powered by Apple Intelligence, then told customers in March 2025 that those features would come later. The plaintiffs also cite the Better Business Bureau’s National Advertising Division, which found that Apple’s “available now” claim conveyed that the updated Siri was ready at launch when it was not.
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Apple denies any wrongdoing, and the settlement is not an admission of liability. The features have since arrived: Siri AI shipped with iOS 27 on September 14, though it launched in English only.
Who qualifies
The class, as Judge Wise defined it on July 17, covers people who live in the US and bought one of the seven models above in the US, for any purpose other than resale, during that June 2024 to March 2025 window. Apple, its directors, officers and employees are excluded, as are the judges on the case and their staff.
Owning the phone is not quite enough. The claim form asks you to certify that when you bought it, you “expected to receive a Siri Apple Intelligence feature and did not receive it,” and to sign that your answers are true. Only sign if that describes you.
How much you could get
Apple pays $250 million into a non-reversionary fund, so unclaimed money does not go back to Apple. The fund first covers administration costs capped at $5,444,056, attorneys’ fees the lawyers say will be no more than 28 percent, expenses, and service awards of up to $2,000 for each named plaintiff, all subject to court approval.
What remains is split per phone. If claims exceed the money left, every payment shrinks pro rata below $25. If they fall short, payments grow toward the $95 cap. The plaintiffs put the number of eligible iPhones at about 37 million, so turnout decides the final figure. Each phone needs its own claim form, and every eligible phone you bought counts.
How the claim process will work
Apple is giving Verita its customer contact details, so most buyers should hear directly: an email notice followed by two or more reminders, or a postcard for people Apple has only a mailing address for.
- Keep the notice. It carries a Claim ID and a PIN for your claim.
- File at SmartphoneAISettlement.com. The settlement papers name it as the official site and list a toll-free line, 1-888-988-8945.
- Have the serial number ready. It is in Settings > General > About. If you no longer have the phone, the form accepts the Apple Account email address and phone number tied to it instead.
- Choose how you’re paid. Digital payment requires filing online. A paper check is the alternative.
The dates that matter
| Step | What the court documents say |
|---|---|
| Notice and claims open | Originally 45 days after the July 17 order, since moved by the August 28 order |
| Claim, opt-out and objection deadlines | 90 calendar days after the notice date |
| Final approval hearing | February 24, 2027, 9 a.m., San Jose |
| Payments | 60 calendar days after the settlement’s effective date, which follows final approval |
Nobody gets paid before final approval. The judge wrote that “the parties shall not begin any payment of claims without Final Approval of the Court.” The hearing was moved up to February 24, 2027 from September 2027 at the plaintiffs’ request, and appeals could still push payments later.
To keep your own right to sue Apple over this, you must opt out in writing by the exclusion deadline, and you cannot both opt out and claim. Do nothing and you give up that claim and get no money. Questions go to the administrator, not the court.
