Google has agreed to settle a class-action lawsuit with small app developers who alleged the tech giant violated federal antitrust laws.
As reported by Reuters, Google will pay $90 million, to be split between US-based app developers. The lawsuit claimed that the Google Play Store's policies forced developers to use the storefront's billing system, which imposed a 30 percent fee on all transactions As a response to the lawsuit, Google announced back in 2021 that it would only charge developers a 15 percent fee on the first million dollars of revenue earned from the Google Play Store each year.
In a blog post detailing the settlements, Wilson White, Google VP of Government Affairs & Public Policy, notes that the $90 million Google agrees to pay to settle the lawsuit would be put towards a fund. Should the court approve the proposed settlement, access to the fund will be made available to app developers that generated $2 million or less in annual revenue between 2016 through 2021.
"A vast majority of U.S. developers who earned revenue through Google Play will be eligible to receive money from this fund, if they choose," White notes in the blog post. "If the Court approves the settlement, developers that qualify will be notified and allowed to receive a distribution from the fund."
The lawsuit follows a similar one aimed at Apple, which was settled in August 2021, where the iPhone maker agreed to pay $100 million to US app developers. That settlement also saw Apple clarifying its policies, allowing iOS developers to now reach out to customers and inform them about payment options offered outside of the App Store (and bypassing Apple's 30 percent App Store fee).
Taylor is the Associate Tech Editor at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.