Things aren’t looking good for Apple, as the company has been hit with yet another lawsuit over the delayed rollout of its much-advertised personalized Siri feature for iPhone. As per the complaint filed in a California federal court, Apple is accused of false advertising and violating unfair competition laws.
The two named plaintiffs allege that Apple misled them into buying the iPhone 16 by marketing advanced Siri capabilities that were not actually available at the time of purchase. According to the lawsuit, they would never have bought the iPhone 16 or have paid significantly less for it had they known the truth.
Apple heavily promoted the Apple Intelligence-powered Siri during its WWDC 2024 keynote and other platforms, including its iPhone 16 product page and in a widely aired TV commercial starring The Last of Us star Bella Ramsey. The said feature was initially supposed to launch with iOS 18.4, released a few weeks ago; however, to everyone’s dismay, it didn’t happen.
Apple described the advertisement as follows:
In a recent statement, Apple announced that the Siri upgrades will be further delayed and won’t see light in the iOS 18 lifecycle. They are now expected to arrive in the coming years, most probably sometime within the iOS 19 lifecycle.
In another unforeseen event for Apple, a similar lawsuit was filed last week in British Columbia, Canada. All the lawsuits filed so far seek damages “in an amount to be proven at trial” for all iPhone 16 users who thought they would get to use the new Siri capabilities.
If the lawsuits proceed, they may merge, and if the courts find that Apple violated advertising laws, the lawsuits could lead to payouts for affected customers.
Apple has yet to issue an official response to the lawsuits that have been filed regarding the matter. Legal experts suggest that Apple may defend itself by pointing out its original iOS 18 timeline showcased at WWDC 2024. The showcased timeline suggested that the Apple Intelligence features will be rolled out over the year. However, the courts may not rule in Apple’s favor as the company’s marketing gave the impression that the upgrades would be available much sooner.
Signing off…
With mounting legal pressure in both the U.S. and Canada, is it about time Apple finally faces increasing scrutiny over how it markets features still under development? What are your thoughts on the matter? Do share them in the comments.
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