According to an attorney for the plaintiffs, a San Jose jury found that Google misused customers’ cell phone data and must pay over $314.6 million to Android smartphone users in California. The jury held Alphabet’s Google responsible for unauthorized information exchanges that occurred while devices were idle, leading to burdens on users for the company’s benefit. Google plans to appeal the verdict, stating that critical services for Android devices were misunderstood. The class action lawsuit, filed in 2019 on behalf of around 14 million Californians, alleged that Google collected data from idle Android phones for its own purposes, including targeted advertising. Google argued that users consented to these practices in their terms of service and privacy policies. A separate lawsuit with similar claims on behalf of Android users in other states is set for trial in April 2026.
