Procon Carioca, Rio de Janeiro’s consumer protection agency, opened an administrative proceeding on May 8 to investigate whether Apple omitted critical information, failed to fulfill offers, or breached rules requiring clear, adequate and prominent information under Brazil’s Consumer Protection Code. The agency says the probe will focus on the company’s communications and the availability of AI capabilities promoted for the iPhone 16; the inquiry could lead to corrective notices or obligations to compensate affected consumers if violations are found.
This move places scrutiny on how Apple marketed region‑specific availability of machine‑learning features tied to a flagship device. Procon has formally notified Apple and given the company 20 days to respond, and it requested a detailed set of documents and data. The agency asked which Apple Intelligence and iPhone 16 AI features were actually available at launch and a timeline for implementing the announced features; how and when that availability was communicated to Brazilian consumers and copies of advertising materials run in the country; aggregated data on consumer complaints and the number of consumers affected; and any measures Apple has adopted or plans to adopt to correct information and provide compensation where appropriate.
The Brazilian inquiry follows a separate U.S. class‑action matter in which Apple agreed to a $250 million settlement over claims tied to the availability of more personalized Siri features first announced at WWDC 2024. Apple agreed to that settlement in December, and the full settlement terms received preliminary approval in early May; eligible U.S. iPhone buyers are expected to receive roughly $25 per device, potentially rising to about $95 depending on how many people submit claims. The U.S.
case underscores that disputes over regional feature availability and marketing can escalate into large, multi‑jurisdictional legal and financial matters. For developers, product managers and builders of on‑device or cloud AI, Procon’s inquiry highlights concrete operational and communications risks. Promotional language must accurately reflect the feature state in each market; public timelines should be closely synchronized with technical rollout plans; and teams should retain records that show when capabilities were activated for users. Regulators in Brazil and elsewhere may require corrective notices, compensatory schemes or other remedies when marketed capabilities are delayed, limited or unavailable to specific groups of consumers.
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