Apple is distributing funds this week following a $95 million class-action settlement related to its voice assistant, Siri. The lawsuit accused the tech giant of capturing confidential user conversations due to unintentional activations and sharing them with third parties.
The settlement involves millions of iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch users who owned Siri-enabled devices between September 17, 2014 and December 31, 2024. The payout, while modest in size for one of the world’s most valuable companies, marks a notable moment in the ongoing conversation around digital privacy and the use of smart technology.
Accidental Recordings and Data Sharing Claims
The lawsuit centered on allegations that Apple’s Siri software recorded private conversations without the user’s knowledge or consent. Plaintiffs claimed that the voice assistant was sometimes triggered unintentionally, collecting and sharing personal discussions with advertisers. According to NBC News, these incidents occurred even when users had not activated Siri with the typical trigger phrase, “Hey, Siri.”
Examples cited in the lawsuit include individuals receiving targeted advertisements after discussing specific products like Air Jordan shoes or Olive Garden restaurants near a Siri-enabled device. One claimant said he began seeing ads for a surgical procedure following a private conversation with his doctor. These situations, according to the lawsuit, point to instances where confidential conversations may have been shared with third parties to serve advertising purposes.
Apple has denied the claims, stating that “Siri has been engineered to protect user privacy from the beginning” and asserting that “Siri data has never been used to build marketing profiles and it has never been sold to anyone for any purpose,” according to Nexstar. Despite this, the company agreed to settle the lawsuit without admitting wrongdoing.
Settlement Details and Early Payment Reports
To qualify for a portion of the settlement, users needed to own a Siri-enabled device within the specified time frame and believe their conversations were unintentionally recorded and shared. Eligible devices include iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches, MacBooks, iMacs, HomePods, iPod Touch, and Apple TV models. According to The Hill, claims could be submitted for up to five devices, with a maximum payout of $20 per device.
The claim submission deadline passed in July 2025. An appeal that initially threatened to delay payments was later dismissed voluntarily. Disbursements began on Friday, with users now reporting payments arriving through PayPal and digital gift cards. According to Nexstar, some recipients who registered five devices reported receiving around $40 in total, equating to roughly $8 per device. Others mentioned smaller amounts, ranging from $16 to $24, depending on the number of eligible devices and valid claims.
While Apple agreed to the $95 million settlement, this figure represents a fraction of its financial resources. According to Reuters, Apple’s net income reached $93.74 billion in the most recent fiscal year, meaning the payout amounts to less than a day’s profit for the company.
Payment distribution is expected to continue in the coming days, with some users still awaiting deposits or card details via email. According to Nexstar, users are advised to monitor their spam folders for messages containing virtual gift cards if they opted for that payment method.
