(Credit: Emily Forlini)
Apple falsely advertised the AI features on its latest iPhone, particularly the availability of a more capable Siri voice assistant, according to two new lawsuits.
Apple made "misrepresentations and/or misleading statements" to convince shoppers to buy the iPhone 16, according to a Canada-wide class-action lawsuit, as reported by the Vancouver Sun.
Apple Intelligence was not available when the phone launched in September 2024. Some features arrived with iOS updates in October and December, but a smarter version of Siri, which is the crown jewel of Apple Intelligence, is still not available.
“As such, consumers paid an unlawful price premium for the...iPhone 16 model smartphone that they did not need, based on artificial intelligence features that did not exist,” the case alleges.
In announcing the iPhone 16, Craig Federighi, Apple’s VP of software engineering, said the first Apple Intelligence features would debut a month after the phone, with “more to come” in the months thereafter. By year's end, however, Apple said some of the more impressive AI tricks, like giving Siri "the ability to draw on a user’s personal context to deliver intelligence that’s tailored to them" and giving the AI "onscreen awareness...to take hundreds of new actions in and across Apple and third-party apps" were still in the works.
The lawsuit accuses Apple of deceiving buyers in a "race for AI market share." By the time the features are available, they may not be considered unique or innovative, the case adds. (In our review of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, we noted its "powerful AI features.")
In some ways, it's correct. Apple advertised the ability to see what a user is doing on their screen, and take actions on their behalf in apps. Samsung has already added a Google-powered AI version of this to the new Galaxy S25 Ultra device.
A second case out of California makes the same argument, saying Apple "aggressively promoted" the new features and "promised a revolutionary product that would change the way consumers use their phones." It, too, specifically calls out the AI enhancements to Siri, noting that its "makeover was the centerpiece of the promised Apple Intelligence platform." But nearly a year after Apple unveiled Apple Intelligence at WWDC 2024, the functions "still do not exist."
These two cases follow another one filed last month, which makes similar arguments.
Timelines for the new Siri have shifted from late 2025 to 2026 and even 2027 amid engineering hurdles and an executive leadership shakeup. Apple now says some version will arrive in fall 2025, The New York Times reports. It's unclear what features will be available.
Despite the lackluster AI, "Apple took the #1 spot in Q1 2025," for global sales, "its first ever for the first quarter, with a 19% share," according to Counterpoint Research.
That came after a rough Q4 holiday season where the iPhone 16 failed to supercharge sales. The launch of the more affordable iPhone 16e drove the improvement, with double-digit growth in Japan, India, Middle East and Africa, and Southeast Asia. Sales in the US, Europe and China were either flat or declining, Counterpoint says.
President Trump's recent tariffs on Chinese-made products, including iPhones, could hamper its outlook going forward, even with a temporary exemption for smartphones.