You could be in for huge payment as Google forced to pay out $700m to Android phone users

Google has been sued and forced to pay out $700 million, which means Android phone users could be in with a chance of bagging a bit of cash.

Four years ago, Google was slapped with a huge lawsuit from the US Department of Justice alongside several US states.

They accused the tech giant of abusing its power regarding consumer access to apps on mobile devices running its Android operating system.

And on top of that in 2021, Epic Games and other developers launched a suit against Google - just in case they didn’t already have enough to pay up.

Google has to pay out a hefty sum. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

As to why got Google in trouble, it largely came down to the fact that it allegedly made game developers use its own payment system for apps downloaded from the Play Store.

Forbes reported that Google takes a cut of all sales, which equates to around 15-30 percent on every transaction.

The first lawsuit was settled in September 2023, but details of the outcome were not shared at the time.

But in December 2023 when a jury found that Google had violated US antitrust laws, Google went on to share more about the outcome - as well announcing the changes it was going to make to become more cooperative.

The original 15-30 percent cut the firm received is now being lowered to 11-26 percent, and Google have vowed to show alternative pricing options in the Play Store so that consumers can now pay for the product directly from the developer, rather than through Google Play's billing system.

And it seems to be a step in the right direction for the tech company.

The tech giant has vowed to change how customer's use Google Play. (Idrees Abbas/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

However, as a result of previous actions, Google is being made to pay out a whopping $630 million 'to be distributed for the benefit of consumers according to a Court-approved plan', as well as an additional $70 million to a fund for use by the states.

And this where things get interesting - as Android users could get their hands on a piece of the pie.

In regards to how much you might be able to get your hands on, eligible consumers who made a purchase on the Play Store between August 16, 2016 and September 30, 2023 will receive a minimum of $2, according to the settlement conditions.

As to how you get your money, there's not a lot you need to do - which actually makes a change.

Customers who are eligible for the pay out are set to be automatically notified about the options available to receive their cut of the money.

So a message Android users everywhere - keep your eyes peeled!

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