Users could soon receive part of a $700 million settlement from Google and new information on the potential payouts has been released, but you might want to check your email.
The new details were revealed this week surrounding the 2023 Google settlement that followed allegations the company “harmed” users with its “anticompetitive practices” in the Google Play Store.
“This case was never just about app purchases – it was about what happens when a company quietly controls the choices and prices that millions of people rely on every day,” Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield said in a statement Tuesday. “That kind of power affects households in real way. This settlement begins to unwind that. This work is about giving families and small businesses a voice, and making sure this doesn’t happen again.”
Google, in a statement released in 2023, said the settlement “builds on Android’s choice and flexibility, maintains strong security protections, and retains Google’s ability to compete with other OS makers, and invest in the Android ecosystem for users and developers.”
The payouts will be issued if the settlement is approved by a judge at a 2026 hearing, and some users may not need to do anything to receive their funds.
Here’s what to know:
Who is eligible?
Under the settlement, consumers who made purchases on the Google Play Store between August 2016 and September 2023 “and were harmed by Google’s anticompetitive practices” were eligible for payouts. Google agreed to pay $630 million in restitution, minus costs and fees. They also agreed to pay $70 million in penalties.
Eligible users were notified beginning Dec. 2.
What do I need to do to file a claim?
According to Rayfield, most eligible users won’t need to do anything to receive their funds.
The settlement will make such payments automatically “and no claim form is necessary in most cases,” he said.
Users may need to take extra steps if they do not have a PayPal or Venmo account with the same email or phone number associated with their Google Play Store, however.
That’s because payments will be automatically sent to a user’s Venmo or PayPal account as long as it shares the same email as impacted Google Play Store users.
“If that email address or phone number does not match an email address or phone number associated with a PayPal or Venmo account, then consumers have the option to create a new account or direct the payment to a PayPal or Venmo account at another email address or phone number,” Rayfield’s release notes.
After the automatic payments are sent out, there will be a “supplemental claims process” for those who:
- Do not have an existing PayPal or Venmo account and do not want to sign up for PayPal or Venmo.
- No longer have access to the email address or mobile phone number associated with their Google Play account; or were expecting to receive a payment but did not.
Users who believe they will need to use that supplemental claims process can be notified once it opens by filling out a form here.
When will I receive my money?
A judge will rule on whether to approve the settlement during a hearing on April 30, 2026. All payouts will be dependent on that ruling.
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