$5M Google Settlement Ends Class Action Lawsuit Over Alleged Automatically Renewing Google Play Store Subscriptions

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Google has agreed to a $5,000,000 settlement to resolve a class action lawsuit that alleged the tech giant violated California law by failing to disclose the full terms of its automatically renewing Google Play Store subscriptions.

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The $5 million Google Play class action settlement received preliminary approval from the court on January 22, 2026 and covers all individuals in California who paid for at least one renewal term of a Google subscription for personal or household purposes through the Google Play checkout screen, or “Buy Cart,” that was billed through Google Play between May 30, 2014 and October 27, 2019, excluding any subscriptions for Google Drive, those that were cancelled during a free trial period or those that have been fully refunded by Google.

The court-approved website for the Google Play settlement can be found at PlayStoreSubscriptionSettlement.com.

According to the website, Google Play settlement class members do not need to take any action to automatically receive a pro-rated share of the amount remaining in the net settlement fund after the payment of attorneys’ fees, settlement administration costs and lead plaintiff service awards. The settlement site estimates that each class member will receive approximately $5.85.

The settlement agreement reports that payments will be automatically issued to class members as account credits to their Google Play accounts. If a class member no longer has an active Google Play account, payment will be issued electronically as a one-time cash payment to the PayPal or Zelle account associated with the email address in its records.

If a Google settlement class member does not have an active Google Play account or a valid email address, or if the electronic payment is otherwise undeliverable, their share of the net settlement fund will be distributed to the California State Bar’s Justice Gap Fund as a cy pres award.

Related Reading: $700M Google Settlement Ends Attorneys General Lawsuit Over Alleged Monopoly of Android App Distribution

Class members who wish to exclude themselves from the settlement and retain any legal rights to litigate the same claims must complete the exclusion request form on the settlement site. To log into the form, class members will be required to input the claim ID and PIN as listed on their received copy of the settlement notice.

Similarly, if a class member wishes to object to the settlement, they must send a notice to the settlement administrator with their name, contact information, and a brief written statement explaining the basis of their objection, along with other information as described in the settlement notice.   

All exclusion requests and objections to the Google Play settlement must be submitted online or postmarked by May 9, 2026.

The court will determine whether to grant final approval to the Google Play subscription settlement following a hearing on July 23, 2026. Compensation will begin to be distributed to class members only after final approval is granted and any appeals are resolved.

The Google class action lawsuit argued that the tech giant did not obtain informed consent or follow all disclosure requirements in the subscription flow used by consumers who paid for in-app subscriptions and purchases on the Google Play Store to maintain compliance with California Automatic Renewal Law. Court documents alleged this led to consumers being automatically billed for unwanted recurring subscriptions, as cancellations were not effective until the end of the billing period.   

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