If you used Siri between 2014 and 2024, and the voice assistant was ever activated by something random you said, you may be entitled to a cut of a payout from Apple.
Apple agreed back in January to settle a class action privacy lawsuit for unintended Siri activations between September 17 2014 and December 31 2024, and US residents can now register a claim …
Siri privacy lawsuit
The issue dates back to 2019, when it was revealed that Apple contractors heard recordings of private conversations by the company’s customers. This happened when Siri was accidentally triggered by something a HomePod or other device thought was a “Hey Siri” command, but wasn’t.
A short section of the conversation that followed would be captured by the device, and may have been included in the Siri interactions human reviewers listened to in a bid to improve Siri’s understanding. One of the reviewers acted as a whistleblower, telling The Guardian that they’d heard very sensitive conversations.
The whistleblower said that “Apple contractors regularly hear confidential medical information, drug deals, and recordings of couples having sex, as part of their job providing quality control” for Apple’s voice assistant.
Apple acknowledged the grading program, stating that fewer than 1% of Siri interactions were analyzed – but that would still amount to millions of recordings.
Inevitably, a class action lawsuit followed, in which Apple was accused of “unlawful and intentional recording of individuals’ confidential communications without their consent.”
Fast-forward to January of this year, and Apple agreed to a $95M settlement.
How to claim your cut
A website has now been set up for Siri users to register their claim. You have a valid claim if you suffered unintentional Siri activations during the time period listed, and this occured when you were having a conversation you intended to be private.
As always, you shouldn’t expect to get rich from this: the payout has been capped at $20 per Siri device. You can claim for up to five Siri devices, for a maximum payout of $100. However, you may receive less than this, depending on the total number of claims.
You can register here, with a claims deadline of July 2.
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