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New Jersey and a coalition of 52 attorneys general sued Google in 2021, alleging that Google unlawfully monopolized the Android app distribution and in-app payment processing markets.
The states’ complaint highlighted several allegedly anticompetitive practices, including Google’s use of restrictive contracts to stifle the growth of competing app stores on Android devices, paying off key app developers to dissuade them from creating rival app stores, and Google’s use of technological barriers designed to discourage consumers from downloading apps outside of the Google Play Store.
“As we spend increasing amounts of time on our phones, it is imperative that fair and transparent pricing and consumer choice be just as visible in the digital world as it is when we conduct business in real life, like when you are shopping in your downtown,” said Platkin. “Going forward, we are requiring Google to reform their business practices so that they can no longer hide behind opaque contracts and pricing.”
Specifically, Google will pay $630 million in restitution to consumers who made purchases on the Google Play Store between August 2016 and September 2023 and were harmed by anticompetitive practices.
Google will pay the states an additional $70 million in penalties.
Consumers eligible for restitution do not have to submit a claim—they will receive automatic payments through PayPal or Venmo, or they can elect to receive a check or ACH transfer.
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