People who have used an Android phone since 2017 may qualify for a portion of a $135 million Google settlement.
The potential payout stems from a lawsuit filed against Google, accusing the tech giant of making its Android operating system cause devices to “transfer a variety of information” to Google without users’ permission.
The transfers “occur in the background, without any notice to the user, including when the phones are in a completely idle state,” according to the lawsuit.
While transfers can occur when Android devices are connected to Wi-Fi, they can also take place over a cellular network, which the lawsuit alleges ate up the cellular data on those devices.
Google has denied wrongdoing, but agreed to the $135 million settlement. A similar lawsuit for California residents resulted in a $350 million settlement.
To qualify for the settlement, consumers must be U.S. residents who used an Android device with a cellular data plan at any time since November 12, 2017. Those who were part of the previous California settlement do not qualify for this settlement.
There are likely about 100 million people who will qualify for this settlement. According to the settlement administrator, the court has a final approval hearing set for June 23.
If the settlement is approved, the funds will be used to pay out eligible class members, in addition to attorney fees and court costs.
Payments will be made electronically, though it was not immediately clear how much the class members would receive.
Android users who are part of the claim have received notice via mail or email, according to the settlement administrator.
Those who aren’t sure if they are included in the settlement can call the settlement administrator at 1-844-655-4255.
