Tens of millions of iPhone users could be eligible for a payout

Apple has agreed to pay out a hefty sum to settle a lawsuit claiming its voice assistant, Siri, has been listening to users’ private conversations.

iPhone users have complained that Apple had recorded their private conversations after accidentally activating its digital assistant, Siri, and alleged the conversations were disclosed to third parties such as advertisers.

The voice assistant typically reacts when users say trigger words or phrases like ‘Hey, Siri’.

The lawsuit, which was filed five years ago, claimed the tech giant’s feature was listening to private conversations without users’ consent and possibly sharing their data.

Some users have complained their devices have been recording their conversations (Getty Images)

Two plaintiffs in the lawsuit said their mentions of shopping for Air Jordan sneakers and at Olive Garden restaurants meant they suddenly saw more ads for those products, while a third said his device had advertisements for a branded surgical treatment that he thought he had discussed privately with his doctor.

The complaint alleged Apple collected conversations through ‘unintended Siri activation’.

Now, a preliminary settlement was filed on Tuesday night in Oakland, California federal court, where Apple has agreed to pay out $95,000,000 to settle the claim and provide compensation to users whose private conversations were allegedly captured.

The lawsuit alleges the conversations were recorded when Siri was triggered unintentionally (Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Apple has denied any wrongdoing in its proposed settlement, stating ‘Apple has at all times denied and continues to deny any and all alleged wrongdoing and liability’.

The proposal now requires formal approval from US District Judge, Jefferey White, but if approved, it would offer US Apple users up to $20 per device that enables Siri, such as iPhones, iPads, and Apple Watches.

As the class period runs from September 17, 2014, to December 31, 2024, as that’s when Siri incorporated the ‘Hey, Siri’ feature, tens of millions of members whose device allegedly used unauthorized recordings may be eligible to receive a slice of the settlement.

Apple must also confirm that it has deleted any private conversations that were captured by Siri and now has to inform users more clearly about how their voice data is used.

The Apple store in Palo Alto, California (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Lawyers for the plaintiffs may also seek some $28.5 million in fees, as well as $1.1 million for expenses from the settlement pot.

The $95 million is estimated to cover around nine hours in profit for Apple, and the company’s net income was $93.74 billion in its latest fiscal year.

The settlement comes as other huge technology organizations have agreed to fork out similar settlement costs after being accused of violating users’ privacy.

In 2023, Amazon agreed to pay $30 million with the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) after it was accused of privacy violations through its Ring doorbell cameras and Alexa digital assistant.

Another lawsuit on behalf of users of Google’s Voice Assistant is also currently pending in the San Jose, California federal court, where the plaintiffs are represented by the same firms in the Apple case.

Apple is yet to provide an official comment on the settlement.