Apple has agreed to a $95 million settlement to resolve a class-action lawsuit accusing the company of violating user privacy through its Siri voice assistant. The preliminary settlement, filed in the Oakland, California federal court, awaits approval from U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White.

The lawsuit alleges that Siri accidentally recorded private conversations and shared this data with third parties, including advertisers, without user consent. Users claimed Siri was activated unintentionally when they spoke words resembling “Hey, Siri.”

Key examples include:

• Users discussing Air Jordan sneakers or Olive Garden restaurants reported receiving related ads shortly after.
• One user claimed to have seen ads for a surgical treatment discussed privately with a doctor.

The case covers incidents from September 17, 2014, to December 31, 2024, when the “Hey, Siri” feature was introduced. Eligible claimants, estimated in the tens of millions, may receive up to $20 per Siri-enabled device, including iPhones and Apple Watches.

Apple has denied any wrongdoing but agreed to the settlement.

Lawyers for the plaintiffs may request up to $28.5 million in legal fees and $1.1 million for expenses from the settlement fund.

Interestingly, the $95 million settlement represents about nine hours of profit for Apple, which earned $93.74 billion in net income during its last fiscal year.

A similar lawsuit targeting Google Voice Assistant is ongoing in San Jose, California, with the same legal firms representing plaintiffs as in the Siri case.

This settlement underscores growing concerns about user privacy in the era of voice-activated technology.