Android Users Are Getting Checks From Google's $700M App Store Settlement - Here's How

If you paid for apps or in-app content on the Google Play Store between August 16, 2016 and September 30, 2023, you may be eligible for a claims settlement as part of a massive lawsuit against Google. The $700 million settlement was secured by New York Attorney General Letitia James and a coalition of 53 attorneys general. The suit alleges Google harmed consumers for years who bought apps, made in-app purchases, or subscribed to various services by "suppressing competition" and "unfairly raising prices" with as much as 30% in fees, as part of a monopolistic action. All of this comes after Google has been ordered by a judge to open up Android to third-party app stores.

According to A.G. James, $630 million has already been paid to a settlement fund. If approved, some of that money could be sent to you, and you may not even have to do anything. If you have a PayPal or Venmo account associated with your email address tied to the Google Play account you used to make purchases, you could automatically receive the payout. If you don't have PayPal or Venmo, don't want to sign up, no longer have access to the email or associated phone number, or were expecting payment but didn't receive it, there will be a supplemental claims process on the settlement website.

Some claimants have already received legal notices as of December 2. You can expect to receive at least $2, possibly more, depending on how much you paid via the Google Play Store or Google Play Billing during the aforementioned timeframe. No payment deadline has been set yet. A final approval hearing is scheduled for April 30, 2026. If approved, automatic payments will go out sometime after. Manual claimants will have to wait longer.

For most, no action will be required, provided you have a PayPal or Venmo account linked to your primary Google Play email and you still have access to all of the accounts involved. For those who don't receive automatic payments — which shouldn't begin going out until next year — if approved, there will be a supplemental process afterwards to file claims. If you'd like to be informed when that supplemental process starts, you can sign up on the settlement website. You'll also find a host of additional information and resources there, including a very detailed FAQ that explains everything you need to know.

If you don't want to be included in the settlement at all, you can exclude yourself by filling out an opt-out form by February 19, 2026. That allows you to retain your right to sue Google separately in lieu of any benefits from the settlement.

This is not the first time Google has paid a settlement for alleged wrongdoings. Google had to pay $1.4 billion in a Texas settlement for violating user data protocols, and was involved in another $5 billion suit for tracking users in Chrome's Incognito Mode. These are hardly the only settlements, either. It's hard to imagine the latest involving Google Play will be the last, for that matter.