Apple Siri privacy settlement

What the case was about

Compiled by the MrScandal settlements desk from the documents below · Desk editor Laima Ērkšķe-Kreicberga · Updated Nov 11, 2026

In July 2019 The Guardian reported that contractors working for Apple regularly heard confidential details while listening to Siri recordings as part of quality checks. A whistleblower told the paper that accidental activations, when Siri mistakes a sound for its wake phrase, often picked up sensitive material such as medical details. On August 28, 2019 Apple confirmed the program, which it called grading: people had reviewed less than 0.2% of Siri requests and their transcripts. It suspended human grading, apologised for not fully living up to its own ideals, and changed the rules: audio no longer kept by default, review only for users who opt in, only Apple employees listening, and accidental recordings deleted.

The class action was filed in federal court in California on August 7, 2019, days after the report. The amended complaint alleged that Apple recorded private conversations, including those of minors, without consent when Siri activated on its own, and passed recordings to contractors. It brought claims under the federal Wiretap Act, the California Invasion of Privacy Act and privacy and consumer protection law. Some plaintiffs alleged they saw targeted ads for products they had only talked about near their devices. Apple denied all of the allegations and said it did nothing improper or unlawful.

The parties filed a $95 million settlement on December 31, 2024, paying valid claimants a pro rata share capped at $20 per Siri device for up to five devices. Beyond the cash, Apple agreed, without admitting liability, to confirm deletion of individual Siri audio recordings collected before October 2019 within six months of the settlement taking effect, and to publish a page explaining the Improve Siri opt-in and what it stores. On January 8, 2025 Apple said it has never used Siri data to build marketing profiles, never made it available for advertising and never sold it.

Judge Jeffrey S. White granted final approval on September 4, 2025, overruling objections, and later awarded class counsel 30% of the fund. A group of class members represented by the law firm Potter Handy, whose requests to opt out had been denied, appealed on November 12, 2025 and dropped the appeal 13 days later, clearing the way for payment. Checks and electronic payments began going out on January 23, 2026, and the administrator sent a final round of reissued payments on September 21, 2026.

The company's full record: Apple Inc. file.