Home US Apple to pay £77 million to stop lawsuit claiming your iPhone is spying on you – and millions of customers could be lining up for a payout

Apple to pay £77 million to stop lawsuit claiming your iPhone is spying on you – and millions of customers could be lining up for a payout

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The proposed settlement was filed in a federal court in California and would resolve the lawsuit, which has been in the company's mailbox for five years. Image: Stock photo from iPhone

Apple will pay £77 million to settle a lawsuit claiming its devices listened to their owners without their consent.

The tech giant was accused of using its virtual assistant Siri to eavesdrop on and record conversations for more than a decade.

The proposed settlement was filed in a federal court in California and would resolve the lawsuit, which has been in the company’s mailbox for five years.

Customers with iPhones, iPads and other Apple products can request Siri’s help by saying “Hey Siri.”

But the lawsuit alleged that the company was receiving user calls even when the words were not spoken.

Some recordings were then shared with advertisers in an attempt to sell their products to consumers, it was claimed.

Lead plaintiff Fumiko Lopez claims she and her daughter were recorded without their consent and received targeted promotions for products such as Nike sneakers.

Apple’s legal team said it will confirm that the company has “permanently deleted individual Siri audio recordings collected by Apple prior to October 2019.”

The proposed settlement was filed in a federal court in California and would resolve the lawsuit, which has been in the company’s mailbox for five years. Image: Stock photo from iPhone

The Siri case contradicts Apple’s long-standing commitment, used as a selling point in recent years, to protect the privacy of its customers. Apple CEO Tim Cook has often interpreted this effort as a fight to preserve a “basic human right.”

However, Apple does not admit any wrongdoing in the new settlement, which was filed Tuesday and still needs the approval of a U.S. district judge.

Lawyers in the case have suggested a hearing to review the terms be scheduled for the middle of next month.

If the settlement is approved, tens of millions of consumers who owned iPhones and other Apple devices between September 17, 2014 and the end of last year could file their own claims. However, only customers based in the United States can take advantage of the proposed payout.

Each consumer could receive up to £16 per Siri-equipped device covered by the settlement, although the payment could be reduced or increased depending on the volume of claims.

Estimates in the court documents predict that only 3 to 5 percent of eligible consumers would file claims. They would also be limited to seeking compensation for a maximum of five devices.

The settlement represents a fraction of the £570 billion in profits Apple has made since September 2014.

That includes a profit of almost £80 billion in the three months from September 2024.

The tech giant was accused of using its virtual assistant Siri to eavesdrop on and record conversations for more than a decade. Image: Stock image

The tech giant was accused of using its virtual assistant Siri to eavesdrop on and record conversations for more than a decade. Image: Stock image

Apple does not admit any wrongdoing in the new settlement, which was filed Tuesday and still needs the approval of a U.S. district judge. Photo: Stock image

Apple does not admit any wrongdoing in the new settlement, which was filed Tuesday and still needs the approval of a U.S. district judge. Photo: Stock image

Lawyers representing consumers had estimated that Apple would have had to pay around £1.2 billion if the company had been found guilty of breaching wiretapping and other privacy laws if the case had gone to trial.

The lawyers who brought the lawsuit can claim up to £23.8 million from the settlement fund to cover their fees and other costs, court documents add.

This case isn’t the first class action lawsuit Apple has faced in recent years.

A year ago, the company began paying out on a £400m lawsuit claiming it deliberately slowed down US devices.

And in March it agreed to pay £385 million to settle a case in Britain with Norfolk County Council after it was accused of defrauding a pension fund run by the local government.

Two months ago, which one? also launched a class action lawsuit against Apple in Britain, accusing the company of defrauding customers over its iCloud platform.

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