Google Settles UK App Developers' Class Action Lawsuit For $353 Mn

Google has agreed to pay £260 million ($353.21 million) to settle a mass lawsuit brought by UK app developers over alleged anti-competitive practices and commissions charged through its Play Store.

The proposed settlement, which requires approval from the UK’s Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT), would resolve a claim that had previously been valued at more than £1 billion, as per a report by Reuters.

The case was brought on behalf of developers who sold apps through Google’s Play Store in the UK.

According to Reuters, lawyers for academic Barry Rodger, who led the claim, alleged that Google had used its dominant position to restrict developers from distributing apps through alternative channels while imposing an unfair commission, typically 30%.

The case was scheduled to go to trial at the CAT next month, now it is expected to consider the proposed settlement at the hearing.

It would have been the fourth major competition case against a technology company to reach trial in the UK since the beginning of 2025, following proceedings involving Apple, Qualcomm and Sony, as per Reuters.

Rodger said he had reached a proposed settlement with Google, while the company has made no admission of liability or wrongdoing.

The settlement agreement, cited by Reuters, states that Google "believes it has strong defences to Professor Rodger's claim."

Rodger described the proposed settlement as "a great outcome" for app developers, adding, "If approved, meaningful financial compensation will become available for businesses that could never have taken on a company like Google alone."

£160 Mn Set Aside For Developers

Under the agreement, £160 million will be distributed among eligible app developers, Reuters reported. The remaining £100 million will cover the costs associated with bringing and funding the legal action.

UK-domiciled developers who sold digital content through apps distributed via the Play Store from August 2018 could be eligible for compensation, unless they opt out, as per a report by Bloomberg (BBG).

Damien Geradin, who represented the app developers, said the settlement was the largest to date under the UK’s class action framework for competition claims, which was introduced in 2015, as per BBG.

A separate class action brought on behalf of millions of UK Android mobile phone users against Google remains pending, the BBG report said.