Apple is starting the claims process for a U.S. class-action settlement related to the delayed launch of its new Siri tools. Customers in the US can now file claims under a settlement in which Apple had advertised the new Siri features in terms of personalization before the features were finally released. The process of filing the claims will run until December 21, 2026.
The settlement may offer eligible consumers a payment of around $25 per qualifying device, though the final amount may vary. The compensation could reach up to $95 for some potentially eligible customers depending on the number of approved claims and other factors. The settlement only applies to qualifying purchases made in the United States and does not cover iPhone purchases made in other countries (e.g. India).
Why is Apple paying iPhone users?
The legal dispute centers around Apple promoting new Siri capabilities announced in 2024 alongside Apple Intelligence. Apple had announced a more personalized version of Siri that it said would be able to serve users with a better context and more advanced tasks across all the parts of Apple’s ecosystem.
The new Siri experience was promoted in Apple's promotional materials, presentations, website content, and advertising. Apple also featured actor Bella Ramsey in a television commercial to promote new Siri capabilities.
But the company delayed the launch of some of the promised personalized Siri features. In March 2025, Apple acknowledged that the more advanced Siri experience would take longer to be available.
That delay led to legal action, as well as a class-action lawsuit filed against Apple on the grounds that Apple's marketing had misled consumers about the availability of the advertised Siri capabilities. Apple did settle the lawsuit and did not go through the full litigation process.
Who can claim the Apple Settlement?
The settlement is for eligible consumers in the US. To be eligible, a person must live in the United States and have bought a qualifying iPhone in the US between June 10, 2024, and March 29, 2025.
The device must have been purchased for personal use rather than for resale. That means businesses, resellers, and people who purchased eligible iPhones primarily for commercial resale purposes may not qualify under the settlement terms.
The eligible iPhone lineup includes several recent models that supported or were associated with Apple’s Apple Intelligence rollout. These include the iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPhone 16, iPhone 16e, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max.
Consumers who meet the requirements are expected to receive information containing a claim ID and PIN. These details can be used to submit a claim through the settlement process. But consumers who do not have the claim ID or PIN may also have the option to submit their claim through the settlement website.
How much money will the eligible users receive?
The headline figure for the settlement is $25 for eligible devices. At the current conversion rate mentioned in reports, that is approximately Rs 2,395. But $25 is not necessarily the maximum amount that an individual claimant could receive.
The final payment may depend on the number of valid claims submitted and other settlement-related factors. Compensation could potentially reach $95, or about Rs 9,100, for qualifying devices.
Such figures should not be considered as guaranteed payments. The actual payment to a claimant may vary with the final settlement administration and number of approved claims.
When is the claim deadline?
Consumers must submit the claim by December 21, 2026. People who believe they are eligible should do so before the deadline instead of waiting until the last day to submit the claim.
Payments are not expected to be made immediately after a claim is submitted. A final approval hearing for the settlement is scheduled for February 24, 2027. Payments are therefore expected to start only after the settlement is finalized and the administrative process is completed.
For Indian iPhone users, the settlement does not provide a general compensation program for all Apple customers worldwide. The eligibility requirements specifically concern qualifying US purchases and US consumers covered by the lawsuit.
The settlement also illustrates how tricky it can be when big tech companies announce new artificial intelligence capabilities before they’re widely available. Apple’s personalized Siri upgrade became one of the more closely watched parts of Apple Intelligence, but the delayed release was eventually the subject of legal scrutiny in the US.
If eligible iPhone owners have now made their claim, the key dates are now: claims are open on September 21, 2026, the deadline for submission is December 21, 2026, and the final approval hearing is February 24, 2027. Consumers need to verify their eligibility and use the official settlement process rather than rely on unofficial websites or requests for sensitive personal information.
