Apple's $250 million Siri settlement: iPhone claims open, up to $95 per device

Claims are now open in Apple's $250 million settlement over the long-delayed AI overhaul of Siri. According to The Verge, eligible US iPhone owners can submit a claim through the settlement's website, and anyone who wants a share of the money must file before December 21, 2026.

Who can file and how much they get

The payout applies to US residents who bought an iPhone 15 Pro, an iPhone 15 Pro Max, or any model in the iPhone 16 lineup between June 10, 2024 and March 29, 2025. Filing requires little more than a name, contact details and the serial number of the eligible device, The Verge reports.

The estimated payment is $25 per qualifying device, but the settlement's site says that figure can climb as high as $95 depending on how many people submit claims. Because the final amount hinges on participation, owners should not treat either number as guaranteed until the process closes. The Verge credits MacRumors with the earlier reporting that the claim window had opened.

What the case was about

The class action argued that Apple's WWDC 2024 preview of a smarter, more capable Siri created a reasonable expectation among buyers that those features would ship alongside the iPhone 16. Instead, the phone launched with a narrower set of capabilities than had been shown on stage, even though it was marketed as built for Apple Intelligence, according to The Verge.

The revamped Siri was then pushed back repeatedly, and it finally reached users earlier this month as part of iOS 27, more than two years after its original preview. Apple has denied any wrongdoing, and the settlement resolves the dispute without the case going to trial.

Why it matters

The agreement attaches a concrete dollar figure, $250 million, to a software promise that arrived late, and it does so through consumer litigation rather than a regulatory fine. As AI features become central to how phones and other devices are sold, the case demonstrates that prelaunch demos can carry legal weight when the shipping product falls short of them.

For eligible owners, the practical takeaway is straightforward: the paperwork is light, the payout is modest but real, and the December 21, 2026 deadline is hard. Anyone who bought a covered iPhone during the qualifying window should file a claim rather than assume they will be included automatically.