Apple Intelligence Siri Settlement: The $250 Million iPhone Claim

The $250 Million Settlement at a Glance

Apple has agreed to pay $250 million to settle Landsheft v. Apple Inc., a class action claiming the company advertised Siri features under the Apple Intelligence name that were not available when the phones were sold. The settlement covers U.S. residents 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 United States between June 10, 2024 and March 29, 2025, for purposes other than resale. A claim form is required to get paid, and the claim deadline is December 21, 2026.

The case is pending in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, San Jose Division, as Case No. 5:25-cv-02668-NW, before Judge Noël Wise. The court granted preliminary approval on July 17, 2026 and appointed Verita Global as settlement administrator. As of November 14, 2026, final approval has not been decided and no payments have been made.

The presumptive payment is $25 per eligible device, and it can end up higher or lower. We list this case with other open deals in our Settlement Tracker.

Who Is Covered

The court-approved class is made up of purchasers of seven iPhone models who live in the United States and bought the device in the United States between June 10, 2024 and March 29, 2025, for purposes other than resale. The seven models are the iPhone 16, 16e, 16 Plus, 16 Pro, 16 Pro Max, 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max. The base iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus are not covered.

The official website says a claimant must be the original purchaser of the device. The class definition itself says “purchasers” and does not use the word “original,” so we have not confirmed how the administrator treats used or gifted phones. Businesses and other organizations that bought eligible devices for their own use have a separate claim path on the site.

The class definition has no seller restriction. It turns on the model, the purchase dates, a U.S. purchase and U.S. residence, not on where the phone was bought. No official document we read addresses carrier or retailer purchases directly, so we cannot quote the administrator on that point.

How Much Each Device Could Pay

The settlement agreement sets a presumptive payment of $25 per eligible device. If valid claims at $25 add up to more than the money available, every payment is reduced pro rata, which means payments can come in below $25. If claims add up to less, payments rise pro rata, up to a maximum of $95 per device.

In the preliminary approval order, Judge Wise wrote that the court understood from the July 8, 2026 hearing that there was a “low probability” of payments reaching the $95 cap. The parties must report to the court before paying claims if any amount would exceed $95. No part of the $250 million goes back to Apple.

Attorneys’ fees, expenses, service awards and administration costs come out of the fund before class payments. In the May 2026 approval papers, class counsel said they would request no more than 28% of the fund, or up to $70 million, plus up to $600,000 in expenses and service awards of up to $2,000 per class representative, $130,000 in total. The administrator estimated notice and administration costs at about $5.4 million. The court decides the final amounts. The fee motion is due November 16, 2026, and we have not seen it, so we have not confirmed that the final request matches these caps.

How to File a Claim

Claims can be filed online at smartphoneaisettlement.com or by mailing the paper claim form to the settlement administrator. The notice says only class members who submit a valid claim form receive a payment. People who do nothing get no payment and are still bound by the release.

The claim form asks for the following:

• Your name, mailing address, email address and phone number.
• The iPhone’s serial number, found under Settings, General, About, or on the box barcode or the original receipt or invoice.
• If you do not have the serial number, the Apple Account email address and the phone number for that iPhone instead.
• A payment choice: a mailed check, or a digital payment option if you file online.
• A signed certification that you bought a covered model in the United States during the class period, expected to receive a Siri Apple Intelligence feature at the time of purchase and did not receive it.

There is no cap on the number of devices, but a separate claim form is required for each device, with one payment per device. The paper form does not ask for a receipt upload. It does say claims are subject to audit, review and validation.

Key Dates

These dates come from court orders and from archived copies of the official settlement website. The court can change them without further notice to the class.

• June 10, 2024 to March 29, 2025: purchase window for covered iPhones.
• July 17, 2026: preliminary approval granted.
• September 21, 2026: notice campaign and claim period began.
• November 16, 2026: class counsel’s motion for fees, expenses and service awards due.
• December 21, 2026: deadline to file a claim, to opt out by mail, or to file an objection with the court.
• January 20, 2027: motion for final approval due.
• February 24, 2027: final approval hearing at 9:00 a.m. in San Jose, Courtroom 3.

The notice also describes two other options. A class member can ask to be excluded by a written request mailed to the administrator, or can stay in and file a written objection with the court. The notice says a person cannot do both.

What the Lawsuit Alleged and What Apple Says

The first complaint was filed on March 19, 2025. Plaintiffs alleged that Apple marketed the iPhone 16 generation as an AI breakthrough that included a significantly enhanced Siri, and showed that Siri working in keynotes, press releases and commercials, although the feature did not exist yet and was not available at the time of sale. They said they would not have bought the phones, or would have paid less, had they known.

Apple denies all of the allegations and denies doing anything improper or unlawful. In a motion to dismiss that the court never ruled on, Apple argued its marketing was not misleading because it had already delivered nearly two dozen Apple Intelligence features and had said from the start that features would roll out over time. The settlement is not an admission of wrongdoing, and the official notice says the court did not decide in favor of the plaintiffs or Apple.

This Is Not the $95 Million Siri Privacy Settlement

Two Apple settlements involve Siri, and they are easy to confuse. The earlier one is Lopez v. Apple Inc., No. 4:19-cv-04577-JSW, a $95 million settlement over claims that Siri recorded private conversations after unintended activations. That case is about privacy and alleged eavesdropping, and it received final approval on October 16, 2025. Our Apple Siri privacy lawsuit page covers it.

The Landsheft settlement is a separate case with a separate fund, a separate class and a separate claim form. It concerns advertising of delayed Apple Intelligence features on specific iPhone models, not recordings. The number 95 appears in both: in Lopez it is the $95 million total, and here it is the $95 per-device cap.

What Is Not Settled Yet

Final approval has not happened. The hearing is set for February 24, 2027. Some press coverage still cites September 29, 2027, which was the date in the original July 17, 2026 order. Judge Wise advanced the hearing to February 24, 2027 in an order signed August 13, 2026, so the September 2027 date is superseded.

There is no fixed payment date. Under the agreement, payments go out within 60 days after the settlement becomes effective, which requires final approval, a final judgment, and either the end of the appeal period or the resolution of any appeal in favor of the settlement. Objections or appeals could delay that. Our guide on how long lawsuit settlements take explains the usual steps.

The per-device amount will not be known until claims are counted and the court rules on fees and costs. The official settlement website blocked our direct access, so the facts on this page come from archived captures of that site and from court filings. Readers should confirm the dates on the official site before relying on them. Our verification process explains how we check sources.