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Topics: Apple, Money, US News, iPhone, Technology
Ellie Kemp
Topics: Apple, Money, US News, iPhone, Technology
If you've had an Apple device in the last decade, you could be owed a slice of the company's $95 million class action lawsuit.
Back in 2019, two iPhone users sued Apple claiming Siri, the built-in voice assistant, was eavesdropping on their conversations.
Siri should only be activated with 'hot words' such as 'Hey Siri,' and is apparently 'the most private intelligent assistant', as per the company's website.
But when users allegedly began noticing adverts for products they'd only ever spoken about, they became concerned.
Advert
According to the lawsuit, the two plaintiffs' mentions of shopping for Air Jordan sneakers and at Olive Garden restaurants meant they suddenly saw more ads for said products.
A third claimed his device had adverts 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' and that their data was shared to third parties.
Apple has denied any wrongdoing and told the BBC last year it settled the case 'to avoid additional litigation so we can move forward from concerns about third-party grading that we already addressed in 2019'.
Since Saturday (January 24), people have noticed payments from the lawsuit come through to their bank accounts, as per CBS News.
Here's what to know - and how much you could get from the class action lawsuit.
To be eligible, you must have owned a Siri-incorporated device between September 17 2014 and December 31 2024.
This could include iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches or Macs.
Tens of millions of people are believed to have been impacted.
A person’s 'confidential communications' must have been 'obtained by Apple and/or were shared with third parties as a result of an unintended Siri activation' within that same timeframe.
Qualifying people received 'emails and postcards' letting them know, but others were encouraged to apply if they thought they were entitled.
Applications ran between May and July last year.
Users can expect to receive up to $20 per Siri-activated device they owned.
The payments are capped at five devices, so the maximum amount you could get is $100.
CBS reported that the payments appear under the reference 'Lopez Voice Assistant' - named after the 2019 Lopez V. Apple lawsuit.
Customers have so far received between $8 and $40 into their bank accounts, the publication reports.
It's worth keeping an eye on your bank account in the coming weeks, then!