- Google must pay $314 million following a court ruling over its use of Android users’ cellular data without consent.
- The class-action case argued that Google transmitted data from idle Android devices over cellular networks, violating California law.
- Testing showed that a dormant Samsung Galaxy S7 sent about 8.88 MB of cellular data per day, mostly between the device and Google.
- Google said it will appeal, stating the data transfers are for security and device reliability, and that users have consented.
- This ruling follows settlements and fines for major tech companies over data practices in the U.S. and Europe.
A court in California has ordered Google to pay $314 million after ruling that the company used Android users’ cellular data without their permission. The court found that Android devices sent information to Google even when phones were idle, leading to the class-action lawsuit.
The legal dispute began in August 2019. Plaintiffs claimed Google’s Android operating system sent various types of data to the company, consuming users’ mobile data plans unknowingly. The verdict concluded that these actions violated California state law and required compensation to affected users.
Court documents highlighted a study showing that a Samsung Galaxy S7 smartphone with default settings sent and received 8.88 megabytes of cellular data per day. Of that data, 94% involved communication between the device and Google. Plaintiffs argued that most of this data transfer involved log files, such as metrics and lists of active applications. According to the plaintiffs, these transfers could have occurred over Wi-Fi, but Google instead sent them through cellular networks, creating unnecessary costs for users.
Another experiment cited in the complaint compared a dormant Android device with Chrome open to an untouched iPhone with Safari in the background. The Android phone conducted about 900 background data transfers in 24 hours, while the iPhone sent far less. The court noted that Apple offered users better control over background data transfers.
A jury sided with the plaintiffs at the end of a trial on July 2, 2025, stating that these background data transmissions imposed unavoidable burdens on users for Google’s benefit. Google responded that it will challenge the decision, arguing the data is used for “security, performance, and reliability,” and that users are made aware of this in the company’s terms and agreements.
The ruling comes shortly after Google agreed to almost $1.4 billion in settlements in Texas over location and facial recognition data collection. It also follows a recent decision against Meta by the European Commission, which fined it $227 million for violating the Digital Markets Act with its advertising consent model. More details about the California class action are available at https://www.cellulardataclassaction.com and the law firm’s case summary at this link.
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