Google Paying $700 Million After Anti-Competitive Charges By States

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody, along with a coalition of 52 other attorneys general, secured $700 million from Google over the company’s anticompetitive conduct. 

Attorney General Moody and the coalition’s lawsuit alleged that Google unlawfully monopolized the market for the distribution of Android apps, monopolized the in-app payment market and tied Google Play Billing to the use of Google Play. Of the $700 million, it is estimated that affected Floridians will receive tens of millions of dollars.

Google will pay $630 million in restitution to consumers harmed by the company’s anticompetitive practices who made purchases on the Google Play Store between August 2016 and September 2023. Google will pay the states an additional $70 million to resolve each state’s sovereign claims. 

Those eligible for restitution do not have to submit a claim. Affected consumers will receive automatic payments through PayPal or Venmo, unless they elect to receive a check or ACH transfer. Additional details about the fund distribution process will be forthcoming. The action also requires Google to make its business practices more procompetitive in a number of important ways. The agreement and notice plan are subject to court approval.