Google has reached a preliminary $135 million settlement in the class-action lawsuit Taylor v. Google LLC, which accused the company of transferring data from Android phones without users' permission, using cellular data. The agreement covers U.S. Android users with cellular plans from November 12, 2017, onward. A final approval hearing is set for June 23.
The lawsuit alleged that Google caused Android mobile devices to send information to its servers passively, consuming users' cellular data without consent. Without admitting fault, Google agreed to the settlement in January. The official settlement website is now live, allowing eligible users to select payment methods ahead of the June 23 hearing in court, where objections will be considered. Objections must be filed by May 29. Eligible class members are living U.S. individuals who used an Android device with a cellular data plan between November 12, 2017, and the date of final approval, excluding those in the related Csupo v. Google LLC case for California residents. Payout amounts are not yet finalized but capped at a maximum of $100 per person after deducting administrative, tax, and attorney fees. Payments will be equal shares, with potential redistribution of remaining funds. As part of the deal, Google will update its Google Play terms to disclose passive data transfers over cellular networks when not on Wi-Fi, require user consent during device setup, and halt data collection when the 'allow background data usage' option is disabled. This follows a $314 million settlement last year in a similar California case.
