According to an attorney representing the plaintiffs, a jury in San Jose, California, found that Google had improperly utilized customers’ cell phone data. As a result, the tech giant has been ordered to pay over $314.6 million to Android smartphone users in the state. The lawsuit alleged that Google was transferring information to and from devices without permission, placing undue burdens on users for the company’s benefit. Google plans to appeal the verdict, stating that the jury misunderstood the essential services provided by the company for Android devices’ security and performance. The class action lawsuit, filed in 2019 on behalf of approximately 14 million Californians, claimed that Google collected data from idle Android phones for purposes such as targeted advertising, leading to cellular data usage without users’ explicit consent. Google argued that users had agreed to such data transfers in the company’s terms of service and privacy policies. Another lawsuit with similar allegations has been filed in federal court in San Jose on behalf of Android users from the other 49 states, with a trial scheduled for April 2026.
