Google Android settlement opens claims

Google has opened the claims process for a $135 million Android settlement, and U.S. users who had Android phones on cellular data since November 12, 2017 may be covered. (cbsnews.com) The case is Taylor v. Google LLC in federal court in Northern California, where plaintiffs said Android devices sent information to Google in the background and used customers’ paid cellular data without permission. Google denied wrongdoing but agreed to settle for $135 million. (govinfo.gov, bloomberglaw.com) The settlement received preliminary approval on March 5, 2026, and the court set a final approval hearing for June 23, 2026. Notices began going out this month, and users can now choose how they want to be paid. (govinfo.gov, cnet.com) The proposed class covers living people in the United States who used an Android device with a cellular data plan to access the internet from November 12, 2017 through the date of final approval. People in California are excluded, and so are users covered by a related case, Csupo v. Google LLC. (usatoday.com, classaction.org) This settlement is about a narrow claim, not Google’s broader antitrust fights. The allegation was that Android quietly used customers’ mobile data in the background, turning a small cost on each phone into a class action covering roughly 100 million users. (classaction.org, nbcchicago.com) The payment per person is expected to be modest because the fund has to be spread across a huge class after fees, service awards, and administration costs. Settlement notices and coverage estimates cited by news outlets put the class at about 100 million Android users. (nbcchicago.com, masslive.com) Users generally do not need to prove how many megabytes Android used on their plans. Instead, the settlement administrator is using records and notice IDs, and eligible users can select options such as PayPal, Venmo, Zelle, Automated Clearing House transfer, or a virtual prepaid card. (androidauthority.com, theclassactionlawsuit.com) The deadline to submit exclusions or objections is tied to the court schedule, and several outlets report a May 29, 2026 deadline for payment elections and related responses. Payments would go out only after final approval and any appeals are resolved. (theclassactionlawsuit.com, cnet.com) For Google, the deal closes one more privacy case without an admission of liability. For Android users, it is the kind of settlement where the individual payout may be small, but the total bill still reaches nine figures. (bloomberglaw.com, cbsnews.com)