Google has reached a settlement of $700 million to resolve an antitrust case; of this amount, $630 million is set aside for consumer payouts, with an estimated 102 million consumers potentially entitled to receive a share.
In summary,
- Google has reached a settlement of $700 million to settle an antitrust lawsuit. $630 million of the settlement is for consumers who were allegedly subjected to higher prices as a result of an alleged monopoly.
- Approximately 102 million people may be eligible for a share of the settlement, with approximately 70% of those who meet all eligibility requirements receiving automatic compensation.
- Eligibility criteria include having a “legal address” in the US in the Google payment profile at the time of app purchase.
In response to an antitrust lawsuit pertaining to its dominance in the Android mobile app market through its Google Play Store, Google agreed to pay $700 million, with $630 million going toward paying out to consumers. The lawsuit claimed that Google had used its control over the market to create a monopoly, increasing consumer prices.
Lawyers for the parties involved in the case estimate that roughly 102 million people could be eligible to receive a portion of this settlement money. According to the Business Insider report, the $630 million payout aims to compensate consumers who might have faced higher prices due to Google’s alleged monopoly practices.
The distribution process may be set up to identify and compensate eligible consumers automatically. Interestingly, a sizeable portion, approximately 70% of those who are fully eligible, or approximately 71.4 million people, may receive automatic compensation. This means that these people would not be required to take any action in order to claim their share of the payout.
This type of settlement frequently happens in class-action cases, in which a sizable number of people—in this case, consumers harmed by Google’s purported practices—can join forces to sue the firm and get money if the court grants a settlement.
Therefore, you may be eligible for a portion of the $630 million payout without having to actively claim it if you used Google’s services or bought apps through the Google Play Store during the relevant period covered by the lawsuit. The specifics of eligibility and the distribution process would likely be provided by the court or the settlement administrator.
Who is qualified to get the funds from Google?
When you purchased an app from the Google Play Store or made an in-app purchase between August 16, 2016, and September 30, 2023, and your “legal address” was in one of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, or the US Virgin Islands, you may be eligible for payment if you had that address listed as your current residence on your Google payment profile.
Those who meet the requirements should anticipate receiving an email notification. Seventy percent of the eligible population will be paid automatically, with no action required on their part. The amount paid to each individual will vary depending on how much they spent on apps during that time period, but it should be at least $2.
The email address provided in the notification will be the same one that is associated with the user’s Google Play Store account; if this email address is associated with a PayPal or Venmo account, payment will probably be made using one of these services; recipients of payments made via PayPal or Venmo will also receive an email confirming the payment.
A check will be sent to those who are qualified for bigger payments but who did not receive payment via Venmo, PayPal, or any other channel.
If you are among the remaining thirty percent of eligible individuals, you will typically need to file claims and request payment through a dedicated website; however, as of right now, it is unclear exactly how this will work. If you are among them, stay tuned for updates or instructions on how to get your money back.