How Texans can claim their share of $700 million Google settlement
Google settles $1.4B Texas lawsuit
Top headlines include Google settling a massive privacy lawsuit filed by the State of Texas, Mexico suing Google over the label "Gulf of America," a bill limiting ownership of land by some foreign buyers passes the Texas House and car dealerships brace for impacts from tariffs.
AUSTIN, Texas - Texans can now claim their share of a $700 million settlement won against Google two years ago.
The backstory:
Texas was among several states that sued Google for practices deemed anticompetitive and affected customers who made purchases via the Google Play Store between August 2016 and September 2023.
Officials said Google monopolized the Android app market for distribution and in-app payments by signing contracts to deter consumers from directly downloading apps to their devices.
What they're saying:
"I encourage every Texan affected by these unlawful actions to claim their share of the penalty Google had to pay for breaking the law," Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said in a news release Friday. "There will be zero tolerance for any Big Tech company that chooses to ignore the law, drive up costs for consumers, and destroy competition in the Lone Star State."
In this photo illustration a Google logo seen displayed on a smartphone. (Photo Illustration by Mateusz Slodkowski/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Payment process:
According to Paxton, consumers will receive an email from PayPal or a text from Venmo notifying them of an incoming payment at the email address or mobile number associated with their Google Play account.
If that email address or phone number doesn’t match an existing PayPal or Venmo account, users will have the option to create a new account or direct the payment to another email address or phone number.
There will be a supplemental claims process available to consumers who don’t have an account on either service and refuse to create one, consumers who no longer have access to the email address or phone number associated with the Google Play account or consumers who were expecting to receive a payment but did not. People can sign up on the settlement website to receive an email when this claims process starts.
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People who don’t want a payment so they can bring their own case against Google must submit a request to be excluded online or in writing by Feb. 19, 2026. Objections must be filed by the same date.