Prime Highlights:
- Apple shelled out $95 million to settle a class-action lawsuit that claimed Siri had been secretly recording customers.
- The victims of the affected users can be compensated up to $100 on their Siri-enabled devices, which they purchased between 2014 and 2024.
Key Facts:
- The lawsuit followed a 2019 report that accused Apple contractors of listening to Siri recordings they weren’t entitled to.
- The products involved are iPhones, iPads, MacBooks, Apple Watches, etc.
- The complaints will be filed on July 2, 2025, and a court hearing by August 1.
Key Background
Apple is settling a large privacy suit worth $95 million over charges that its voice assistant, Siri, recorded people’s private conversations without their permission. The Lopez v. Apple case followed the outrage in 2019 after third-party employees were found listening in on audio recordings captured by Siri—claimed to be most of them having been recorded inadvertently without the users saying “Hey Siri.”
Apple subsequently responded by halting its Siri audio grading service, promising to be open, and seeking users’ consent before accessing their voice recordings. Some consumers, however, proceeded with a class-action lawsuit, claiming that their private conversations were being recorded secretly and thus violating their right to privacy.
Apple neither accepted guilt nor fault in the settlement but will compensate users of eligible Siri-enabled devices from September 17, 2014, through December 31, 2024. Eligible devices according to the settlement comprise iPhones, iPads, MacBooks, Apple Watches, HomePods, iMacs, iPod touches, and Apple TVs.
Each and every claimant is entitled to obtain $20 per device, or five devices—altogether, mind you, a grand total of up to $100—by mailing in and swearing under-perjury an affidavit that he or she had at least one involuntary Siri invocation that recorded an intimate conversation. Claimants have until July 2, 2025, to make their claims.
Although some of the customers got postcards or emails with claim codes, they are not required to file a claim. The final approval hearing for the settlement is scheduled on August 1, 2025, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in Oakland. Payment will be made shortly thereafter if the court approves the deal and no appeal is made.
This case is notable for the increasing focus on voice technologies and data privacy. Digital assistants such as Siri are convenient, but not without concerns over how they treat sensitive user information. Apple subsequently did change things to include additional privacy controls, but this case suggests that there must be user trust in the tech industry.
