Google settles lawsuit over Android data harvesting: how to collect your piece of the $135 million settlement

Google has faced a number of class action lawsuits over harvesting data from Android phones without user consent. Last year the company settled a case in California for $314 million.

This year, the company settled a separate class action lawsuit in January agreeing to pay $135 million. The lawsuit, Taylor v. Google LLC, was settled in January, but the official settlement website just went live this week.

To be clear, as with most legal matters, the case isn't totally shut. A final approval hearing is scheduled for June 23 where the court will hear objections and consider if the settlement is fair. After that the court will decide whether to approve the $135 million settlement or not.

Meanwhile, if you qualify, you can sign up on the settlement website and find out information on testifying at the June 23 court hearing. You may also exclude yourself but you do need to write to the court by May 29.

Additionally, as part of the settlement, Google agreed to update its Google Play terms of service to clarify when data transfers occur, even passive ones and when cellular data is used when not connected to WiFi. That ability can't always be disabled but now you will be asked to consent to it.

Google is also supposed to stop collecting data when the "allow background data usage" setting is set to off.

When Google settled in January, the company denied any wrongdoing.

"We are pleased to resolve this case, which mischaracterized standard industry practices that keep Android safe. We're providing additional disclosures to give people more information about how our services work," Google spokesperson José Castañeda said at the time.

Eligibility and payments

To qualify for payment you need to meet four requirements:

• Be alive and in the US
• Have used an Android device with cell service
• Have used said device at any time between Nov. 12, 2017 to January 2026
• You are not a member of the Csupo v Google LLC lawsuit, the California one from last year which is only for California residents

As mentioned, the final hearing isn't until June 23 but you can enter your preferred payment method at the settlement website.

You'll need to fill out the payment electronic form to receive payment. It should be noted that payments are capped at $100. Payments will be distributed after the final court hearing.

If you do nothing, you will still be bound by the Court's decision, and you do give up your right to separately sue Google for the claims in this lawsuit. Also, you will still be issued payment from the settlement, but if you don't select a payment method, you may not receive it.

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