Google hit with $314 million US verdict in cellular data class action

On Tuesday, a jury in San Jose, California, determined that Google improperly utilized customers’ mobile phone data and is required to compensate Android smartphone users in the state over $314.6 million, as stated by a lawyer representing the plaintiffs.

The jury concurred with the plaintiffs that Alphabet’s Google was accountable for transmitting and receiving data from devices without consent while inactive, leading to what the lawsuit termed “essential and unavoidable burdens borne by Android device users for Google’s advantage.”

Google spokesperson Jose Castaneda said in a statement that the company would appeal, and that the verdict “misunderstands services that are critical to the security, performance, and reliability of Android devices.”

The plaintiffs’ attorney Glen Summers said the verdict “forcefully vindicates the merits of this case and reflects the seriousness of Google’s misconduct.”

Google informed the court that no Android users suffered due to the data transfers and that users agreed to them in the company’s terms of service and privacy policies. A different group initiated a separate lawsuit in federal court in San Jose, presenting identical claims against Google for Android users in the remaining 49 states. That case is set for trial in April 2026.