On Tuesday, July 1, a jury in California determined that Google had unlawfully utilized user data, leading to a $314.6 million penalty for Android smartphone owners within the state. This was reported by Reuters.

The plaintiffs alleged that Google was responsible for sending and receiving data from devices without user consent, even when those devices were inactive. The lawsuit described this as a "mandatory burden that Android users bear for the benefit of Google".

Meanwhile, a Google representative stated that the company plans to appeal the jury's decision, claiming that the verdict "misunderstands services that are critical for the security, performance, and reliability of Android devices".

The plaintiffs' attorney remarked that the verdict "strongly affirms the validity of this case and highlights the seriousness of Google's misconduct".

The class action lawsuit was filed in 2019 on behalf of approximately 14 million Californians, asserting that Google collected information from inactive Android smartphones while consuming cellular data without users' knowledge.

In response, Google stated that no Android user suffered harm from the data transmission and that users consented to this in the terms of service and privacy policy.

A similar lawsuit has been filed by another group of Android users in the other 49 states of the USA, with the case expected to be heard in April 2026.