More about the Apple deal
It was later resolved in 2020, and at the time, Apple agreed to pay $500 million to affected customers.
Now the company is paying around $310 million to consumers who filed the complaint.
Mailed checks are expected to be worth about $92.17 per person.
Apple resolves lawsuit and pays customers
Apple has started paying iPhone owners to settle a lawsuit over its battery throttling practice.
Throttling helps extend battery life and retain its charge, but performance is immensely reduced.
Apple began this practice in 2017, slowing down iPhones with older batteries to prevent them from turning off unexpectedly.
However, Apple did not disclose this to customers in advance and faced several lawsuits.
A year later, the lawsuit was filed in 2018 and quickly gained traction among iPhone users.
Learn more about claiming the Google settlement
Amounts vary, but should range from an absolute minimum of $2 to customers meeting two criteria.
They must have made a purchase from the Android store between 2016 and 2023 and have a legal address on their Google account listed in the United States or its territories during the purchase.
The majority of those eligible who were affected, around 70 percent, will not have to file an official claim and payments will reach their accounts automatically, for ABC news.
More on the Google deal, part three
“Texas has led the nation in the fight to hold giant technology companies accountable for monopolistic activities,” noted Paxton.
“I am proud that this agreement brought together so many states who recognized the importance of protecting free markets.”
To protect developers in the future, part of the agreement required Google to allow developers to be paid through different means, other than strictly Google Play Billing, for five years at a minimum.
The tech giant is also required to allow third-party apps in the Android/Google Play store and “submit compliance reports to independent monitors.”
Google denied any irregularities in the agreement, for CNBC.
Wilson White, the company’s vice president of public policy and government affairs, also noted in a statement that the agreement “builds on Android’s choice and flexibility, maintains strong security protections, and maintains Google’s ability to compete with other manufacturers ( operating systems), and invest in the Android ecosystem for users and developers.”
More on the Google deal
He added: “The agreement we are announcing today is a step forward in returning fairness and competition to the market and returning ill-gotten gains to users.”
Bonta also called the agreement “broad-reaching” and “significant”, given that all states and territories were involved in its implementation.
“Almost never do all states and territories work together,” he said in the statement.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton also confirmed the town deal for residents before Christmas.
Paxton noted that states would receive $70 million in fines from Google and the remaining $630 million would go directly to customers.
Google was officially sued by attorneys general across the country in 2021, alleging that the company “signed anti-competitive contracts to prevent other app stores from being pre-loaded on Android devices,” according to a report. Press release by Paxton.
Google settles major lawsuit totaling $700 million
Officials from all 50 states and three US territories have confirmed that Google will send direct payments from a $700 million fund in a settlement.
Google was called in by authorities for a period between August 2016 and September 2023 where the company allegedly created an “anti-competitive monopoly” through its Google Play and Android app store, by Pleasanton Weekly.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta stated that harm was caused to customers as a result of Google’s alleged actions in a press release on December 19.
“Google took advantage of Android phone customers by limiting consumer choice and capitalizing on commissions for in-app purchases, while limiting alternative ways to download apps,” Bonta noted.
“Google’s anticompetitive behavior harms consumers by limiting their choices, inflating the prices of in-app purchases, and creating an unfair market designed to funnel illicit profits back to the company.”
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
