According toFinancial Times reportApple has agreed to pay up to $2.5 million to settle a class-action lawsuit in the United States. The lawsuit accused Apple of misleading iPhone buyers, leading consumers to believe that Apple would release new features at WWDC 2024 along with Apple Intelligence.The next generation of "personalized" SiriIt was scheduled to launch that year; however, nearly two years later, the super assistant that once demonstrated on stage that could understand screen context and operate the app on behalf of the user is still nowhere to be seen.
Losing money but not admitting fault: $2.5 million in "consolation money"
If the settlement is successfully approved by the judge, the $2.5 million in compensation will cover U.S. consumers who purchased the iPhone 16 series and iPhone 15 Pro.
These consumers were largely attracted by Apple's overwhelming Apple Intelligence advertising campaign, hoping to use the revamped Siri assistant service on their new phones. However, as is typical of many large corporations facing class-action lawsuits, while Apple was willing to provide financial compensation out of its own pocket, the settlement proposal did not require Apple to formally admit any wrongdoing or illegality in its advertising.
Salami-slicing updates and ad removals
Throughout 2024 and 2025, Apple did release text editing tools, image generation, and basic ChatGPT integration features. However, the new Siri, considered the core and soul of the system—possessing "screen awareness" capabilities and the ability to perform complex tasks across apps—remained elusive.
Apple's biggest public relations blunder was that they didn't officially acknowledge the delay of the major Siri update until March 2025, more than five months after the iPhone 16's release. Only after announcing the delay did Apple hastily remove the promotional ads highlighting the new Siri feature before the iPhone 16's launch, but this had already caused considerable damage to consumers who had already purchased the phones.
Relying on Google Gemini to put out the fire?
The report indicates that Apple plans to deliver on this long-awaited promise this fall. Ironically, the key to the successful launch of the new Siri is largely attributed to the deep collaboration between Apple and Google. It is expected that Apple will incorporate Google's Gemini model in the upcoming iOS 27 (which also aligns with previous rumors that iOS 27 will...).Strategies for Opening Third-Party AI ModelsThis will help Siri improve its long-standing generation and reasoning capabilities.
