Google to pay $314.6M to California Android users over unauthorised data use

New Delhi: A jury in San Jose, California, has ruled that Google must pay over $314.6 million to Android smartphone users in the state for collecting and using their data without consent. The verdict follows a class-action lawsuit filed in 2019, representing an estimated 14 million California residents.

According to the plaintiffs, Alphabet-owned Google was found liable for gathering data from users’ Android devices even when they were idle. The lawsuit described the activity as “mandatory and unavoidable burdens shouldered by Android device users for Google's benefit.”

The jury sided with the plaintiffs, concluding that the data transfers occurred without permission and benefitted the company at the expense of users, who bore the cost through their mobile data usage.

Responding to the decision, Glen Summers, attorney for the plaintiffs, said the outcome “forcefully vindicates the merits of this case and reflects the seriousness of Google's misconduct.”

Google spokesperson Jose Castaneda stated that the company would appeal the ruling, arguing that the verdict “misunderstands services that are critical to the security, performance, and reliability of Android devices.”

Google also told the court that users had consented to the data transfers through the company’s terms of service and privacy policies and maintained that no harm had come to Android users.

A separate lawsuit bringing similar claims on behalf of Android users in the remaining 49 states has been filed in federal court in San Jose. That case is expected to go to trial in April 2026.