In September, Google agreed with the U.S. attorneys general to settle a lawsuit related to Google Play's monopoly on the Android store market. The terms of the settlement agreement have now become known.
Google has pledged to pay $700 million in the case. Of these, $629 million will be used to compensate Google Play users, another $70 million will be sent to the states fund, and Google will spend the remaining $1 million on management expenses. Americans who made purchases on Google Play between August 16, 2016 and September 30, 2023 will be able to receive payments.
In addition, Google will make a number of changes to the Google Play policy. In particular, it will allow developers to add third-party payment systems to applications for users from the United States. Formally, the corporation has been allowing this to be done since November 2022, but so far this feature only works in test mode.
Recall that the US authorities sued Google two years ago. In the lawsuit, the attorneys general said that Google is doing everything possible to "make sure that developers can reach users only using Google Play." For example, it pays competitors not to open their own stores. The plaintiffs also pointed out that Google Play charges an "extravagant" commission of 30% for each purchase, which is why end consumers overpay.
Google previously lost to Epic Games in a similar lawsuit over the Google Play monopoly. On December 11, 2023, the jury sided with Epic Games and unanimously recognized that the corporation was committing anti-competitive actions.