Apple might owe you $20 per device: Here’s why

Apple has agreed to pay $95 million to settle a class-action lawsuit alleging that its voice-activated assistant Siri inadvertently recorded private conversations without users’ consent. The proposed settlement was filed on Tuesday in a federal court in Oakland, California.

If approved by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White, users impacted by the issue could receive up to $20 per Apple device equipped with Siri, including the iPhone, Apple Watch, and other Siri-enabled devices. The lawsuit pertains to incidents from September 17, 2014, to December 31, 2024.

The case originated from user complaints that Siri was unintentionally activated, as well as a 2019 report by a whistleblower reported by The Guardian. The report highlighted that Apple contractors were allegedly able to hear audio recordings during quality control testing, which included confidential medical information, drug deals, and intimate conversations. Siri is designed to activate solely upon hearing the wake phrase “hey Siri,” but there were claims of accidental activations triggered by other sounds, such as zippers or certain voices.

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Claimants must submit a request for up to five Siri-enabled devices—such as iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches, MacBooks, iMacs, HomePods, iPod touches, or Apple TVs—and provide an sworn statement confirming that they experienced accidental activations during private conversations. The settlement also stipulates that Apple will confirm the deletion of Siri audio recordings made before October 2019 and publish additional information clarifying the opt-in process for the “Improve Siri” program.

Apple has denied any wrongdoing in the settlement agreement but acknowledged that it had not fully met its privacy commitments and has since implemented measures to protect user privacy further. Additionally, Apple stated that it has stopped saving voice recordings from Siri interactions.

This settlement is not isolated, as Google is currently facing a similar class-action lawsuit concerning its Google Assistant, accused of being triggered without its wake words.

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