Apple quietly removed its “available now” claims about Apple Intelligence features after a national advertising watchdog found that the company’s marketing misled consumers by suggesting all AI capabilities would be available immediately with the iPhone 16 launch. (Source: Image by RR)

Siri’s AI Upgrades Were Promoted Prematurely, Watchdog Says

Apple has quietly removed the “available now” language from its Apple Intelligence promotional page after a review by the National Advertising Division (NAD), an independent body that monitors advertising for accuracy. According to archived versions of the webpage, Apple made the change in late March after the NAD determined that the “available now” claim misled consumers into thinking all AI-powered features—including Priority Notifications, Genmoji, Image Playground, and ChatGPT integration—were immediately accessible with the iPhone 16 launch. The NAD also criticized Apple’s footnote disclosures, saying they were not clear or prominent enough to correct the initial impression.

While some Apple Intelligence features, like enhanced writing tools and a photo object removal feature, were available at launch, others were only introduced later through subsequent software updates. The NAD emphasized that companies must avoid implying features are available when they are not, to maintain truthful advertising practices. Apple’s premature claims raised concerns because many consumers believed the full suite of AI functions was ready on day one, only to discover limited access.

In addition to its webpage claims, Apple was also flagged for suggesting that its upgraded, AI-enhanced Siri was already live—despite the voice assistant’s major new features still being under development. In response, Apple said it updated its marketing disclosures to better reflect feature availability and discontinued the “More Personal Siri” video ad that showed actor Bella Ramsey using capabilities that had not yet been released. Apple emphasized that it is now taking steps to more accurately communicate the status of upcoming features in its promotional materials.

Although Apple disagreed with some aspects of the NAD’s assessment, it agreed to comply with the recommendations. In a statement, Apple maintained that many features were indeed available at the time of the marketing but welcomed the opportunity to collaborate with the NAD. This incident highlights the increased scrutiny facing tech companies as AI-powered features become a major selling point—and as regulators push for greater transparency in how new technologies are marketed to consumers.

read more at theverge.com