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Have You Used This Apple Feature? You May Be Entitled To Settlement Payout

January 16, 2025

4 min Read

Written by Angela Mae

Edited by Rebekah Evans

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As per Reuters, Apple has just agreed to pay big money — $95 million — to settle a class action lawsuit centered around claims that Siri, its voice-activated assistant, has been “eavesdropping” on its users. If you’re one of the millions of people who use Apple products, you could be in for a payout from this lawsuit. Read on to find out what the lawsuit was about, how much you could get and how to get it.

Also here are three Apple products that are considered overrated and overpriced.

What the Basis of the Lawsuit Is

In the fall of 2014, Apple put out a software update that supposedly would only activate Siri with the words, “Hey, Siri.” Jump ahead to August 2019 and the Wood Law Firm filed a complaint against Apple revolving around its voice-activated assistant allegedly recording conversations without its users’ consent — or knowledge.

However, allegations against Apple were made claiming Siri has been secretly recording user conversations without the “Hey, Siri” command. As per the lawsuit, this information was then shared with Apple’s partners in an attempt to increase consumer-targeted advertising, thus increasing the sales of products and services.

Shortly after these initial allegations were made, Apple made the following statement. “Siri has been engineered to protect user privacy from the beginning … When we store Siri data on our servers, we don’t use it to build a marketing profile and we never sell it to anyone.”

Although Apple hasn’t admitted to any wrongdoings, they did agree to a settlement to avoid further litigation. The company has also continually denied any allegations that it’s used Siri’s recording for targeted advertising.

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Potential Payout

According to AP News, tens of millions of Apple users who’ve owned an Apple device (including iPhones) from September 17, 2014 through December 31, 2024 could file a claim. The expected payout is $20 per consumer per Siri-equipped device — up to a total of five devices. This means someone could receive up to $100 in total.

The payout amount could be higher or lower, depending on how many people file a claim. As of now, it’s likely that only 3% to 5% of those affected will actually file a claim.

Impact on Apple

The $95 million payout might seem like a lot, but it’s only a drop in Apple’s metaphorical bucket. The company has earned approximately $705 billion in profits since September 2014.

The attorneys involved in the case may also take nearly $30 million as their share of the settlement — to cover court fees and related expenses.

How To Get Your Payout

The U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White is overseeing the case against Apple. On February 14, 2025, there’ll be a court hearing in Oakland, California to review the terms of the settlement and make a final decision in Californian court.

At that point, there’ll be a website set up where you can file a claim if you were affected. You’ll have until May 15, 2025 to do this.

What Laws Were Broken?

Although Apple did agree to a settlement, it has denied any wrongdoings. Had the company lost the case altogether, they could have been liable for approximately $1.5 billion in damages.

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As for breaking the law, Apple may have been found guilty for breaking several federal privacy laws, including wiretapping laws. This would only have been the case if the allegations were proven true.