(Credit: Emily Forlini/PCMag)
Apple falsely advertised the availability of AI features on the iPhone 16, according to a new report from the Better Business Bureau (BBB) National Programs’ National Advertising Division (NAD).
Apple teased Apple Intelligence at WWDC 2024, but it was unavailable when the iPhone 16 launched in September. Instead, the company is releasing features piecemeal, first in October and again in December. A more capable Siri is delayed, and there is no firm release date.
Several class-action lawsuits are going after Apple for what they say is deceptive AI marketing, and the NAD is now adding its two cents. It reviewed iPhone 16 marketing materials and concluded they were misleading.
The top of the Apple Intelligence web page, for example, displayed an "Available Now" banner, which "reasonably conveyed" to shoppers that they could use the features immediately after purchasing the phone, the NAD says. Those features include Priority Notifications, Image Playground, Genmoji, Image Wand, and ChatGPT integration.
Apple padded its claims with extensive footnotes and small print, which the NAD found "were neither sufficiently clear and conspicuous nor close to the triggering claims." It recommends that Apple "avoid conveying the message the features are available when they are not" in the future.
"While we disagree with the NAD’s findings related to features that are available to users now, we appreciate the opportunity to work with them and will follow their recommendations," Apple says, according to the NAD.
Apple's claims about the new Siri, which it positioned as the crown jewel of Apple Intelligence, are a big focus in the NAD's report and the class-action lawsuits. The NAD found that they also appeared under the "Available Now" heading, promising consumers a voice assistant with "onscreen awareness, personal context, and cross-app actions." Apple has now removed the "Available Now" wording, The Verge reports.
A video showing the new capabilities, which promised a "More Personal Siri," also generated hype and misled consumers. Apple pulled the video down before the NAD could review its claims. "During the inquiry, Apple informed NAD that these Siri features would not be available on the original timeline and that it had updated its promotional materials accordingly and modified claims and disclosures to adequately communicate their status," the NAD says.
Criticism of Apple's advertising follows several much-hyped AI features throughout 2024. Amazon will reportedly take a page out of Apple's book by staggering the Alexa+ release, too.