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Indiana consumers are expected to share about $10.5 million under a nationwide settlement of antitrust allegations against Google, Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita announced Monday.
The payments would come from a pending $700 million settlement reached in 2023 between Google and a bipartisan coalition of 53 attorneys general, including Indiana, over allegations that Google unlawfully monopolized Android app distribution and in-app payment processing through the Google Play Store.
In addition to consumer payments, Indiana is expected to receive about $1.4 million in penalties from Google, with final figures to be updated in the coming weeks.
Google has already paid $630 million into a settlement fund for consumer restitution. Google agreed to settle the case without acknowledging or admitting to any fault, liability or wrongdoing.
“This is a big win for all Hoosiers and consumers nationwide,” Rokita said in a written statement. “For too long, big tech corporations have leveraged their monopoly power to extract profits at the expense of hardworking Americans. This final settlement, if approved, will put money back in the pockets of those it rightfully belongs to.”
Preliminary approval of the settlement was granted last month, which triggered the court’s notice and approval process, according to the Massachusetts attorney general’s office.
A final approval hearing is set for April 30, 2026. If the court approves the settlement, then the majority of the settlement funds would be distributed to eligible consumers.
Any consumer who paid for an app through the Google Play Store or paid for in-app content through Google Play Billing between Aug. 16, 2016, and September 30, 2023, may be entitled to a payment from the consumer settlement fund.
Eligible persons do not have to submit a claim for restitution; rather, in most cases, they will receive automatic payments through PayPal or Venmo, or they can choose to get a check or ACH transfer.
“All Hoosiers who have or had a Google Play account should visit the settlement website and enter your contact information,” Attorney General Rokita said. “Doing so now will ensure that applicable consumers are notified once the final settlement has been approved by the court and funds start dispersing.”
In 2021, a bipartisan group of 53 attorneys general sued Google in the Northern District of California, alleging the company monopolized the markets for Android app distribution and in-app payment processing.
The states argued that Google signed anti-competitive contracts to prevent other app stores from being preloaded on Android devices, induced app developers who might have launched rival stores and created technological barriers to deter consumers from downloading apps to their devices, according to Monday’s announcement.
The parties reached a settlement agreement in December 2023, with Google agreeing to pay about $630 million in restitution, a majority of which would go to consumers, and an additional $70 million in penalties.
“This settlement builds on Android’s choice and flexibility, maintains strong security protections, and retains Google’s ability to compete with other (software) makers, and invest in the Android ecosystem for users and developers,” wrote Wilson White, Google’s vice president of government affairs and public policy, in a 2023 blog post.
The settlement agreement would also require Google to reform its business practices in several ways to make it easier for consumers to download and install Android apps from third-party stores.
According to the attorneys general, once the settlement has been approved by the court, consumers will receive contact from PayPal or Venmo notifying them of their incoming payment at the contact associated with their Google Play account.
The settlement website, with instructions on how to obtain payments, can be found here.
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