More than 100 million Americans will receive money from Google, which has struck a deal to end an investigation that began in 2021 into how it limited developer opportunities in the Play Store.

Google has agreed to pay a total of $700 million to end the investigation, with most of the money to go to the 102 million Americans who have made purchases on the Google Play store over the past seven years.

It is estimated that at least 71 million people will receive compensation automatically, without having to file a complaint. Obviously it’s not going to be huge amounts/customer, but the fact that it’s here is a win for the end user. The smallest amount you can get is two dollars.

The lawsuit was filed in the summer of 2021 by the authorities of 37 US states, which claimed that Google used anti-competitive tactics by forcing app developers to sign contracts that left them with no choice but to offer consumers access to apps through the Google Play store.

Another class-action lawsuit filed on behalf of 21 million US customers accused Google of “inflating” app prices by charging developers a 30% commission on Google Play transactions.

As part of the deal, Google has promised to make it easier for users to download apps directly from the developer’s website instead of Google Play if they choose.

Sources: Washington Post, Bloomberg

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