Apple has just been handed one of the biggest patent verdicts in U.S. history, and the technology at the center of it is something most iPhone users probably never think about: the little taps and vibrations they feel every day.

A federal jury in California has ordered Apple to pay Taction Technology $5.7 billion after finding that Apple’s Taptic Engine infringed two of Taction’s patents covering haptic technology. The exact damages award is $5,721,961,750.

The verdict concerns technology used to create the physical feedback found in Apple’s iPhones and Apple Watches. The Taptic Engine is responsible for the taps, vibrations and other tactile responses that make interactions with those devices feel more physical.

Taction sued Apple in 2021, arguing that Apple was using its patented technology without authorization. The two patents at the center of the case are U.S. Patent Nos. 10,659,885 and 10,820,117.

Apple, naturally, doesn’t agree with the jury.

“Apple’s Taptic Engine is fundamentally different from Taction’s technology,” Apple said in a statement, arguing that Taction’s own testing of Apple’s products during the trial supported that position. Apple also said it does not use Taction’s technology and will appeal the verdict.

So, no, Apple isn’t suddenly writing a $5.7 billion check this week.

The verdict is the result of the jury trial, and Apple’s planned appeal means the legal fight isn’t over. The jury also specifically found that Apple’s infringement was not willful, which is an important distinction in a patent case because willful infringement can potentially lead to enhanced damages.

This case has already taken a detour

The $5.7 billion verdict is particularly notable because Apple had already won an earlier round of the dispute.

Taction originally filed its lawsuit in 2021. In 2023, a federal judge in San Diego ruled that Apple had not infringed the patents, effectively ending the case at the district-court level. Taction appealed that decision, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit later revived the case and sent it back for further proceedings.

That eventually led to the jury trial, which began on September 14. Seven jurors deliberated for two days before returning their verdict on September 25.

Taction’s lead counsel, Lance Yang, welcomed the result, saying the company was happy the jury found in its favor after waiting five and a half years for the case to reach trial.

For Apple, however, the fight is clearly moving to the next stage.

The company disputes both the infringement finding and the amount of damages and says it will appeal. That means the $5.7 billion figure should be viewed as the jury’s award at this stage, rather than money that Apple has already paid or that is guaranteed to leave Apple’s bank account.

And despite the eye-watering number, the verdict doesn’t mean iPhone or Apple Watch owners suddenly have to worry about their devices. There is no reported product recall or order requiring Apple to stop selling the affected products as a result of Friday’s verdict.

For now, the biggest consequence is sitting in Apple’s legal department rather than in your iPhone.

Still, there’s something amusingly appropriate about a lawsuit over haptics producing a number that can be felt all the way through Apple’s balance sheet. The tiny vibration engine inside an iPhone has turned into a multibillion-dollar legal headache.

And Apple isn’t done fighting it yet.