Apple settles Siri privacy lawsuit: Are you eligible for payment?

Apple on Tuesday agreed to a $95 million cash settlement in response to a class-action lawsuit that accuses the company of violating user privacy by keeping recordings. From unintended Siri sessions.

The settlement period covers an entire decade, and given the ubiquity of Apple products, there’s a good chance you’ll be eligible for a portion of the return. How much this will depend on the number of claimants: the higher this number, the less each claimant gets. However, you will pay a certain amount for each device you own that supports Siri.

The impact of this settlement is likely to be widespread, given its reach Apple product ecosystem. According to A Application Business Report for NovemberCiting company data and market research, there were approximately 155 million active iPhones in the United States as of 2024, a number that has been steadily increasing since the product debuted. Likewise, active Apple TV streaming boxes in the US are also increasing from year to year, with over 32 million active in the US as of 2023.

To find out if you qualify for this settlement, read on. You can also find out if you are Eligible for 23andMe data leak settlement.

Who filed a lawsuit against Apple and why?

This class action lawsuit, Lopez et al. v. Apple IncIt was first filed against Apple in 2019, with plaintiffs claiming it was routinely recorded by their Apple devices after they inadvertently activated the virtual assistant Siri, violating their privacy in the process. They also claimed that these recordings were then sold to advertisers and used to target them with online ads.

Specific incidents cited in the lawsuit include that the plaintiffs saw online ads for brands like Air Jordan and Olive Garden after Apple device users discussed them loudly. In some cases, the plaintiffs claimed that their devices began listening to them without them saying anything at all. At least one of the plaintiffs involved in the case was a minor when it was first filed.

Although it agreed to the settlement, Apple did not admit to any wrongdoing.

Who is eligible for this class action settlement?

The eligibility requirements for this settlement are fairly broad, as it is open to anyone who owned a Siri-enabled Apple device between September 17, 2014, and December 31, 2024. In order to participate, you will have to swear under oath that at some point during that period, you The error is to activate Siri on every device you want to get paid for.

Siri-enabled devices include iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches, MacBooks, iMacs, Apple TV streaming boxes, HomePod speakers, and iPod Touches.

How can I get a class action settlement?

The maximum payout per device should be $20, although depending on how many people opt into the settlement, claimants could get less than that. Each individual can only claim payments for up to five devices.

At this stage, it is not clear when payments will be disbursed and how claimants will choose. The terms of the settlement still need to be approved by a federal judge, and a hearing on the matter is now scheduled for February 14.

For more about Apple, see Why don’t the majority of users care about Apple’s intelligence? And knowledge What iOS setting can prevent apps from tracking you?.