Want $20 for every Apple device that might have been eavesdropping on you? The Cupertino-based tech giant is willing to pay up to $95 million to settle allegations that Siri was too eager to listen in on private conversations.

Apple did not admit any wrongdoing, but agreed to compensate US users up to $100 per household, according to court documents filed on December 13, 2024 in Oakland, California.

The settlement addresses allegations that its voice assistant recorded conversations without the "Hey Siri" wake word and may have stored that data and shared it with advertisers — something Apple has done to reject On previous occasions.

Here's a quick guide to claiming your share of the $95 million settlement.

How to get paid

To qualify for the settlement, you must be a US resident and own one or more qualifying devices between September 17, 2014 and December 31, 2024. The process requires filing a claim by May 15, 2025 and verification under oath. Which has been activated by Siri without your permission.

The website to submit your claim is currently inactive. Users will have to monitor the news and refer back to the official page to be taken into account once the site is activated. It should be ready in less than 45 days.

The settlement covers a wide range of Apple devices, including iPhone 6 and later models, iPads released since 2014, all generations of Apple Watch, HomePod and HomePod Mini, as well as MacBooks and iMacs manufactured since 2014.

Under the terms of the settlement, users could get $20 per eligible device, with a maximum payment of $100 per household for up to five devices. The final payment can increase if fewer claims are filed than expected. The legal team representing the plaintiffs will receive approximately $30 million from the settlement fund.

The claims process begins with the launch of the official settlement website, expected by February 2025. Users must collect their device serial numbers or proof of purchase in advance. Once the site launches, claimants can complete the online form, submit any required documentation, choose their preferred payment method, and submit their claim before the May 15 deadline.

Hey Siri, stop listening

The lawsuit comes from A 2019 reveal by The Guardianwhich revealed that Apple contractors regularly access private Siri recordings. According to the allegations, the contractors reported hearing about medical appointments, business deals and intimate moments, and allegedly shared them with advertisers.

Lead plaintiff Fumiko Lopez's experience highlights the potential invasion of privacy. like I mentioned by bbc, Shortly after discussing Air Jordan shoes at home, she and her daughter noticed targeted ads for the specific models they mentioned. Another plaintiff reported that he saw advertisements for specific medical treatments shortly after discussing them with his doctor.

“Apple has at all times denied, and continues to deny, any and all alleged wrongdoing and liability,” the court filing says. Countries. The company stresses that Siri's data collection only serves to improve the service and remains anonymous.

Along with paying $95 million, the settlement also requires Apple to confirm the permanent deletion of all Siri audio recordings collected before October 2019.

This settlement comes in the middle Growing concerns About AI voice assistants, and AI in general. Similar lawsuits have targeted other tech giants, with Google also facing a parallel class action in California.

“Plaintiffs in the lawsuit allege that Google Assistant can activate and record communications even when a user does not intentionally trigger Google Assistant with a hotword, such as ‘Okay Google,’ or manually activate Google Assistant on their device.” Official website reads the class action lawsuit.

Amazon in 2023 agreed to pay $25 million for similar privacy violations linked to its Alexa devices, with the SEC statement noting that "the complaint alleges that Amazon retained children's voice recordings indefinitely by default" in violation of the law.

Of course, all of these companies have already done so He claimed to respect and protects Privacy of its users. This is especially important considering that everyone is Develop their own generative AI models To improve the user experience, this requires tons and tons of data.

If you want to be extra careful and protect your privacy, you can prevent Siri from activating automatically — or stop using AI assistants at all. Not ideal, but that's the world we live in.

Modified by Andrew Hayward