Google LLC has agreed to pay $135 million to resolve a federal class action alleging that its Android operating system transmitted user data to Google servers over cellular connections without authorization, consuming subscribers' mobile data allowances without consent [1]. The case, Taylor v. Google LLC, No. 5:20-cv-07956-VKD, is pending in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California [1].
The plaintiffs alleged that Android devices routed background data transfers, including system updates and diagnostic information, through cellular networks rather than Wi-Fi, thereby depleting users' paid data plans without their knowledge or permission [1]. The claims implicate consumer protection principles and raise questions about the adequacy of disclosure in Android's terms of service and device settings. Google has not admitted liability as part of the settlement agreement.
The settlement class consists of Android device users whose cellular data was allegedly consumed by these background transmissions during the covered period [1]. Class members who did not exclude themselves face a deadline of May 29, 2026, to submit exclusion requests or file objections [1]. The court has scheduled a final approval hearing for June 23, 2026, at which U.S. Magistrate Judge Virginia K. DeMarchi will assess whether the settlement meets the fairness, adequacy, and reasonableness standard required under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 23(e) [1].
The $135 million fund positions this settlement among the larger consumer data-privacy resolutions involving a major technology platform in recent years. The Northern District of California, which has jurisdiction over a substantial share of tech-sector litigation given the concentration of defendants in Silicon Valley, has approved a series of comparable privacy settlements in recent years. The outcome here may inform how courts and regulators assess the adequacy of consent disclosures bundled within mobile operating system agreements.
If the court grants final approval at the June 23 hearing, claim distributions will follow according to the settlement administrator's allocation plan [1]. Any objections filed before the May 29 deadline will be briefed and addressed at the hearing. Should the court reject the agreement, the parties would return to litigation posture on claims that have been pending since the complaint was filed in 2020.