Apple has agreed to pay $95 million in cash to settle a proposed class action lawsuit accusing its voice-activated assistant, Siri, of violating users' privacy. The preliminary settlement, filed on Tuesday in federal court in Oakland, California, awaits approval from U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White. The lawsuit stemmed from claims that Apple recorded users' private conversations after they unintentionally activated Siri, and that these recordings were shared with third parties, including advertisers.
The issue arose when users complained that Siri’s "hot word" feature, such as "Hey, Siri," inadvertently triggered recordings. Two plaintiffs in the case reported that their discussions about certain products led to targeted ads. One mentioned Air Jordan sneakers and Olive Garden restaurants, while another discussed a specific surgical treatment with their doctor and later received related advertisements. The class action covers a period starting from September 17, 2014, when the "Hey, Siri" feature was introduced, to December 31, 2024. The plaintiffs argue that Siri's behavior during this time led to unauthorized recordings of private conversations.
Under the proposed settlement, class members — potentially numbering in the tens of millions — could receive up to $20 for each Siri-enabled device they own, such as iPhones, iPads, and Apple Watches. Despite agreeing to the settlement, Apple denies any wrongdoing.
The settlement amount, $95 million, represents only a small fraction of Apple’s finances, as it is equivalent to approximately nine hours of the company’s profits. Apple reported a net income of $93.74 billion in its most recent fiscal year.
The case, Lopez et al v. Apple Inc, has attracted attention not only because of its impact on Apple users, but also because a similar lawsuit involving Google’s Voice Assistant is currently pending in the same district court in San Jose, California. The plaintiffs in that case are represented by the same law firms as in the Apple lawsuit.
The legal fees for the plaintiffs' attorneys could be as high as $28.5 million, with an additional $1.1 million to cover expenses. However, both Apple and the plaintiffs' lawyers have declined to comment publicly at this time.
