Google to pay $700 million in antitrust lawsuit brought by state attorney general and will allow apps to charge consumers directly.
The suit, brought in July 2021, accused Google’s app store of abusing its market power and forcing aggressive terms on software developers. The tech giant is facing several antitrust challenges in the United States.
The New York Times reports: “In its announcement on Monday, Google said it would now allow apps to charge consumers directly rather than having to charge through Google. The company will pay $630 million to create a settlement fund for consumers, as well as pay $70 million into a fund to be used by the states. To highlight the choice that users have in how they download apps, Google reaffirmed that phone makers, like Samsung, that use the Android mobile operating system can continue installing multiple app stores on their devices in addition to Google’s Play Store.”
Google vice president of government affairs Wilson White, wrote in a blog post: “This settlement builds on Android’s choice and flexibility, maintains strong security protections and retains Google’s ability to compete with other OS makers and invest in the Android ecosystem for users and developers.”
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