Apple’s big AI push is now costing it serious money.
After heavily promoting a smarter, more personal Siri during WWDC 2024, Apple has agreed to settle a class-action lawsuit for US$250 million. The case accused the company of marketing AI-powered Siri features that were not actually available, especially around the iPhone 16 series.
The complaint was basically this: Apple showed off a future version of Siri that sounded genuinely useful, then customers bought new iPhones expecting those features, but the assistant still did not deliver them.
What Apple Promised With The New Siri
At WWDC 2024, Apple talked up a more capable Siri built around personal context and on-screen awareness. The idea was that Siri would be able to understand what was happening on your phone and help across supported apps.
Examples included asking Siri to find a podcast someone mentioned in Messages, using personal information to give more relevant responses, and carrying out tasks based on what was shown on-screen.
On paper, that sounds like the kind of AI assistant people have been waiting for. Not just a voice command tool that sets timers, but something that can actually move through your phone like a helpful agent.
The issue is that these features still have not properly arrived.
According to the source report, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman had previously suggested these Siri upgrades were expected with iOS 26.4 in February 2026. But the capabilities remain missing, while Apple is reportedly still working on a newer chatbot-style Siri built over a customised version of Google’s Gemini.
Why The Lawsuit Happened
The lawsuit accused Apple of false advertising, arguing that the company’s AI Siri campaign gave buyers the impression that those features were part of the iPhone 16 experience.
Apple stopped the related marketing campaign by March 2025 and delayed the launch of the new Siri capabilities around the same time.
Now, instead of dragging the fight further, Apple has chosen to settle for US$250 million.
Under the settlement terms, eligible users who submit a claim can receive US$25 per qualifying device. The devices listed include the iPhone 16, iPhone 16e, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, iPhone 16 Pro Max, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max, if bought between June 10, 2024 and March 29, 2025.
If claim numbers are low, the payout could go up to US$95 per eligible device.
Why Malaysian iPhone Buyers Should Care
For Malaysia and SEA, the big takeaway is not just the payout. Don’t terus assume you can claim money from here unless the settlement process clearly includes your purchase region. Class-action payouts like this are usually limited by market and legal eligibility.
The real lesson is about AI marketing.
Apple is not the only tech company selling “AI” as the next must-have upgrade. Phones, laptops, GPUs, earbuds, apps — everyone is using the AI label now. But for Malaysian buyers paying premium prices in RM, especially for iPhones that can easily cost more than a mid-range gaming PC, promised future features should not be treated like guaranteed day-one value.
If a feature is not live in Malaysia, not supported in your language, or not available in the apps you actually use, then it should not be the main reason you upgrade.
This matters even more in SEA, where rollouts can be slower and regional support sometimes arrives later than in the US. Siri itself has never been as locally useful here as it is in Apple’s home market, especially when you factor in Malaysian names, mixed English-Malay speech, local apps, and daily lah-style usage.
So yes, Apple’s AI Siri vision still sounds exciting. But until it ships properly, this is a reminder: buy the phone for what it can do today, not for what a keynote says it might do tomorrow.
Source: Wccftech Gaming