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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has announced a $700 million settlement with Google over alleged anticompetitive practices. The agreement, which is supported by Paxton's counterparts in other states and territories, stipulates that Google must pay $630 million in restitution, excluding costs and fees, to individuals who made purchases on the Google Play Store between August 2016 and September 2023 and were adversely affected by these practices.
According to the official statement, Google is also ordered to pay an additional $70 million in penalties and adopt improved business practices. This settlement marks the conclusion of a lawsuit filed against the technology giant in 2021.
The charges against Google included accusations of unlawfully monopolizing the Android app distribution market and in-app payment processing. "Specifically, Google signed anticompetitive contracts to prevent other app stores from being preloaded on Android devices, paid key app developers not to launch products on rival app stores, and created technological barriers to deter consumers from directly downloading apps to their devices," said the release.
The settlement was reached in a California federal court.