This morning the $700 million settlement between Google parent Alphabet and 50 states, the District of Columbia, and two U.S. territories was updated, confirming that Google has agreed to provide a $2 minimum to Play Store consumers who shopped between 2016-2023. The settlement comprises $630 million for consumers and $70 million for states.
In addition to the settlement, Google has promised to implement changes to the Play Store. These changes include allowing consumers to choose between different in-app billing systems provided by app developers or Google itself, and allowing developers to list the price of digital goods that can be purchased outside of the app. For six years, Google will also be forced to permit developers to indicate that a digital good is available on their respective websites.
Furthermore, Android devices will be required to support automatic background updates for apps installed from third-party app stores. The settlement also prevents Google from making exclusive deals with Android device manufacturers and requiring the Play Store to be the exclusive Android app storefront preloaded on devices.
While the terms have been agreed upon, they still require the approval of a judge, who has until February 8th to sign off on the settlement. This settlement comes just weeks after a federal jury ruled in the Epic v. Google suit, stating that the Play Store is a monopoly.
