Android users could get money under $135 million Google settlement

Millions of Android users could be eligible for a payment under a $135 million class-action settlement over allegations that Google’s operating system caused mobile devices to send data without users’ permission.

People who used Android mobile devices to connect to the internet over a cellular network from Nov. 12, 2017, to the present could qualify for the payment, according to the settlement website.

The lawsuit, filed in 2020, alleged that Google’s Android platform transferred data without device owners’ knowledge. Data was allegedly transmitted even when devices were idle, including when they were not in use and when all apps were closed, eating up people’s cellular data. 

“Google effectively forces these users to subsidize its surveillance by secretly programming Android devices to constantly transmit user information to Google in real time, thus appropriating the valuable cellular data users have purchased,” the lawsuit alleged. 

Google denied the allegations. Here’s what to know about the settlement.

How do you get a payment?

All qualifying Android users who don’t opt out of the settlement will receive a payment, according to the settlement site. Users should receive a personalized notice in the mail or by email with a notice ID and a confirmation code.

People filing a claim must enter their preferred method of payment at the settlement website at this link. The link asks for your notice ID and confirmation code to confirm the payment method.

How much could you receive? 

It’s unclear because it will depend on how many Android users receive payments, the settlement site notes. The $135 million settlement will also be reduced by court-approved attorneys’ fees, costs, taxes and other expenses.

Roughly 100 million people could be eligible for payments, so amounts could be fairly small.

What if you don’t do anything?

The settlement administrator will still try to pay Android users who qualify, even if they don’t enter their payment information, the website said. But those consumers “run the risk of not receiving a payment if those attempts are unsuccessful,” it added.