250 million dollars is what it is going to cost Apple not keep your promises. The company has agreed to pay that amount to settle a class action lawsuit that accused it of misleading customers about the availability of Apple Intelligence features. The proposed agreement would apply to people in USA who bought any model of the iPhone 16 or the iPhone 15 Pro between June 10, 2024 and March 29, 2025.
Those who submit valid claims may receive 25 dollars for each iPhonean amount that ‘could decrease or increase up to $95 per devicedepending on the volume of claims and other factors’, according to Clarkson Law Firmthe legal team behind the class action lawsuit.
The settlement, which still must be approved by the court, would resolve a 2025 lawsuit that alleged Apple’s advertising created a ‘clear and reasonable consumer expectation’ that Apple Intelligence features would be available with the launch of the iPhone 16. The lawsuit claimed that Apple products ‘offered a significantly limited or completely absent version of Apple Intelligence, misleading consumers about its actual usefulness and performance’.
At its 2024 Worldwide Developers Conference, WWDC, Apple announced a number of AI-powered features coming to its iPhones, including a renewed Siri. When it launched the iPhone 16 in September of that year, Apple presented it as ‘built for Apple Intelligence’, but lacked many of the capabilities it had shown at WWDC.
In the months that followed, Apple gradually rolled out AI features, including Image Playgroundthe Genmoji and an integration of ChatGPT on Siri, but not all of those advertised at WWDC. The company also delayed the new Siri, which is now expected later this year.
Last month, the National Advertising Divisionan American advertising self-regulatory body, recommended that Apple ‘withdraw or modify’ its ‘available now’ claim on the Apple Intelligence page from your website. Apple also removed an iPhone 16 ad in which the actress appeared Bella Ramsey using the updated Siri with AI.
In a statement, Apple defends itself by stating that after launching Apple Intelligence it has incorporated ‘dozens of functions’ and that ‘has reached an agreement to resolve claims related to the availability of two additional functions. We resolved this issue to stay focused on what we do best, offering the most innovative products and services to our users.’