Google has agreed to an antitrust settlement worth $700 million with U.S. states and consumers. The settlement includes $630 million in compensation for consumers, $70 million to support US states, third-party app support, alternative billing, and other changes.
Google has settled an antitrust case with all 50 US states, as well as Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, paying $700 million and making changes to Google’s Play app store. The settlement, which still needs to be approved by a judge, was first announced in September by Utah and other states as part of a larger case involving Epic Games, the creator of “Fortnite.” Last week a California jury found Epic Games guilty of anticompetitive conduct in its Play app store business.
Under the terms of the settlement, which were first reported by the Verge and are outlined in a 68-page document, Google will make a $630 million contribution to a consumer settlement fund and a $70 million contribution to a fund covering all U.S. states. Eligible consumers will receive at least $2, and additional payments may be made based on the amount of time they spent on Google Play from August 2016 to September 2023 Google will continue to provide technical support for 3rd-party app installs on Android for seven years. For a five-year period, developers will be able to offer a “user choice billing system” in-app that works in conjunction with Google Play.