Google $135M Android Settlement

Google is opening the cash register for a lawsuit over something most people never see: background data traffic from Android phones that allegedly kept talking to Google even when the phone was sitting idle. The settlement website is now live for eligible United States users in 49 states, and the total pot is $135 million. (cnet.com) The core claim was simple: your phone’s cellular data plan is something you pay for, and the lawsuit says Google used some of it for its own background transfers without clear permission. The case is called Taylor v. Google LLC, and Google denies wrongdoing. (classaction.org) This is not about browsing the web or watching videos. It is about tiny device-to-company check-ins that can happen in the background, the way a parked car can still drain fuel if the engine keeps idling. (classaction.org) The settlement class covers people in the United States who used an Android device with a cellular data plan from November 12, 2017, until the settlement gets final approval. California residents are carved out because they are tied to a separate case. (cnet.com, cdn.prod.website-files.com) That California split matters because a San Jose jury already hit Google with a verdict of more than $314 million in a similar suit over Android data transfers. The new $135 million settlement is the federal case for the rest of the country, not the same case twice. (topclassactions.com, cnet.com) A federal judge in the Northern District of California granted preliminary approval to the deal on March 5, 2026. The final approval hearing is scheduled for June 23, 2026, and objections or opt-outs are due by May 29, 2026. (classaction.org, cnet.com) The payout is capped at $100 per person, but the actual amount will almost certainly be lower because the same fund has to cover a huge class. CNET and PCMag both describe the class as about 100 million Android users, which means even a large settlement gets thin fast when spread across that many people. (cnet.com, pcmag.com) The unusual part is that many people do not need to file a traditional claim form. The settlement site says eligible users who do nothing can still remain eligible for payment, but people are being told to choose a payment method so the money can actually reach them. (pcmag.com, cnet.com) Google also agreed to change disclosures around how Android handles these transfers. CNET reports that Google will revise Google Play terms, ask for consent during device setup, and stop collecting data when the “allow background data usage” setting is turned off. (cnet.com) That last point is why this case is bigger than one payout page. The lawsuit turned an invisible privacy complaint into a billable consumer cost, and now Google is not just paying money but changing what it tells users and how one Android setting works. (cnet.com, classaction.org)