Google Play Store $700 Million Antitrust Settlement

Consumers who paid for an app or made in-app purchases through the Google Play Store between Aug. 16, 2016, and Sept. 30, 2023, while residing in any U.S. state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands may be eligible to claim at least $2 from a class action settlement.

Google LLC agreed to pay $700 million to settle a lawsuit brought by the attorneys general of all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. The lawsuit alleged that Google monopolized app distribution and in-app billing services on certain Android devices, which the plaintiffs claimed led to higher prices and fewer choices for consumers.

Who are the class members?

Class members must meet all of the following criteria:

• They paid for an app through the Google Play Store or made in-app purchases (including subscriptions or ad-free versions) using Google Play billing.
• The purchase occurred between Aug. 16, 2016, and Sept. 30, 2023.
• At the time of purchase, their legal address in their Google payments profile was in one of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.

Qualifying purchases include paying to download a game, making a purchase in an app downloaded from the Google Play Store, subscribing to a service within an app or upgrading to an ad-free version of an app provided the payment Google Play billing processed the payment.

The settlement administrator will determine eligibility based on Google's records, specifically the legal address listed in the claimant's Google payments profile at the time of the transaction.

How much is the Google payout?

The net settlement fund available for distribution to consumers is $630 million. After deducting costs for court-approved attorneys' fees and expenses and administration costs, the settlement administrator will distribute the remainder of the fund to eligible consumers.

Each eligible class member will receive at least $2. The settlement administrator will determine the exact amount based on how much each person spent on qualifying purchases compared to other claimants. The more a person spent on apps or in-app content through Google Play during the relevant period, the larger their share of the settlement fund may be.

No action needed to receive payment

Class members do not need to file a claim to receive payment. The settlement administrator will make the majority of payments using the email address or mobile phone number associated with the class member's Google Play account.

If the Google Play email or phone number matches an existing PayPal or Venmo account, the administrator will send payment directly to that account. If not, recipients can create a new PayPal or Venmo account or redirect the payment to a different account.

Class members who do not have a PayPal or Venmo account and do not wish to create one, no longer have access to the email or phone number associated with their Google Play account or expected a payment but did not receive one can be part of the supplemental claims process after settlement administrator completes automatic payments. To be notified when this process starts, individuals can submit their contact information on the official settlement website.

Payout options

• Direct payment to a PayPal account (if the Google Play email or phone number matches a PayPal account)
• Direct payment to a Venmo account (if the Google Play email or phone number matches a Venmo account)
• Option to create a new PayPal or Venmo account or redirect payment to another account
• Future options if the class member cannot use PayPal or Venmo

$700 million settlement fund breakdown

The $700 million settlement fund is divided as follows:

• Total settlement fund: $700,000,000
• Consumer payment fund: $630,000,000 used to pay individual consumers, administration costs and attorneys' fees/expenses)
• State payments: $70,000,000 (distributed to the states for their own use under state law)

The $630 million consumer payment fund includes:

• Settlement administration costs: To be determined
• Attorneys' fees: $85,000,000
• Attorneys' expenses: $8,600,000
• Payments to class members: The remainder of the fund

Important dates

• Exclusion deadline: Feb. 19, 2026
• Fairness hearing: April 30, 2026

When is the Google Play Store antitrust settlement payout date?

The settlement administrator will distribute payments approximately 10 days after the court approves the distribution plan or grants final approval of the settlement, whichever is later.

Why did this class action settlement happen?

The class action lawsuit alleged that Google monopolized app distribution and in-app billing services on certain Android devices, resulting in higher prices and reduced choices for consumers. The lawsuit also claimed that Google made misleading statements about the risks of downloading apps from sources other than the Google Play Store and its billing policies.

Google denies these allegations but agreed to settle to avoid further litigation and expense.

Sources

1. Class notice
2. Settlement agreement
3. Settlement FAQ