There is currently $135 million up for grabs after Google reached a settlement in January 2026, following a class action lawsuit alleging that Google’s Android devices transferred cellular data to Google without users’ permission. The lawsuit states that Google programmed its phones to automatically collect cellular data from carriers since 2017, offering no options to opt out, even if users disabled location tracking. This would make Google guilty of “conversion,” according to the lawsuit, which means taking unauthorized control over someone else’s property. Google has never admitted to any intentional wrongdoing.
The settlement website is now live, allowing you to add your desired payment method ahead of the final approval hearing on June 23rd. You are one of the 100 million affected users if you live in the United States and have an Android mobile device with a cellular plan that you used between November 12th, 2017, and the date of the final approval. The current settlement payment cap is $100.
Are Android mobile devices safe to use?
As part of the settlement, Google has to update the terms of service for Google Play to clarify that data transfers may occur even when you’re not using your device. Users will be asked to consent to this data sharing during the setup of their Android phone. Google must also stop collecting data when users toggle off the “allow background data usage” option.
New Android phones are relatively safe, but 40% of Android phones are reportedly at risk for malware and spyware attacks. In February 2026, Google noted that only 7.5% of phones run Android 16, while 19.3% run Android 15, 17.9% run Android 14, and 13.9% run Android 13. Google no longer supports Android 12 and older, which means billions of Android users on older OS versions are vulnerable because they can’t be updated. Hopefully, the number of users on the latest OS will increase after the release of Android 17. If you believe your Android device is infected with malware, there are certain warning signs that you need to look out for.
