Apple to pay $250 million due to Siri delay

Apple accepted a $250 million settlement in the class action lawsuit filed in the USA on the grounds that it could not deliver the advanced Siri features it introduced within the scope of Apple Intelligence on time. According to the Financial Times, if the agreement is approved by the court, it will cover US users who purchase the iPhone 16 series and iPhone 15 Pro. The case file claims that Apple misled consumers by failing to make the artificial intelligence-supported Siri experience, which it announced in 2024, available within the specified period. Despite this, it is stated that the company will not officially accept any legal liability within the scope of the settlement. Thus, while Apple aims to finalize the process by paying money, it will officially reject the accusations regarding advertising and promotional activities.

Apple introduced its new Siri experience, which is more personal and contextually aware, at the WWDC 2024 event. The company announced that this new system can understand the content on the users’ screen, perform operations between applications and work with more natural commands. However, although nearly two years have passed since the introduction, these features have not reached the end user. In addition, while Apple highlighted the iPhone 16 series with Apple Intelligence support, the new Siri experience was presented as one of the important sales elements of the devices. Despite this, most of the expected artificial intelligence features were not made available for a long time.

Some functions were gradually introduced under the umbrella of Apple Intelligence. Text editing tools, visual production features, and ChatGPT integration will be available in select markets throughout 2024 and 2025. On the other hand, the version of Siri, which understands device content and can take action in applications on behalf of the user, has been postponed. Apple first publicly confirmed this delay in March 2025. This statement came about five months after the iPhone 16 went on sale. It was also revealed that after the company announced the delay, it withdrew some advertising videos highlighting the new Siri features.

Apple plans to introduce the new Siri experience with iOS 27

Recent information shows that Apple has begun to make more use of outsourced artificial intelligence models to complement its new Siri infrastructure. It is stated that Gemini models are planned to be integrated into the Apple ecosystem, especially within the scope of the cooperation with Google. In addition, it is stated that Apple continues to work on its own large language models, but advanced Siri features require a more complex engineering process than expected. Due to the company’s privacy-oriented approach, the desire to run some artificial intelligence processes within the device is among the factors that prolong the development process.

It is claimed that the new Siri version and additional artificial intelligence features will be offered with iOS 27. However, evaluations that Apple is falling behind its rivals such as Microsoft, Google and Samsung in the competition in the field of artificial intelligence are being voiced more and more frequently in the technology industry. The rapid rise in user expectations, especially in the field of productive artificial intelligence, has increased the pressure on Apple. However, it is thought that the delayed features can offer a more controlled and stable experience, thanks to the company’s strong structure in hardware and software integration. It is expected that Apple’s artificial intelligence strategy will emerge more clearly with the introduction of iOS 27 in the coming period.