If you bought an app or made an in‑app purchase on Google Play between August 2016 and September 2023, you may soon see money land in your PayPal or Venmo account — automatically.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and a coalition of state attorneys general reached a proposed $700 million settlement with Google over alleged anticompetitive contracts that, the states say, steered Android app distribution and in‑app payments in ways that hurt consumers. The Texas press office lays out how affected Texans will be notified and how they can claim a payment: Texas Attorney General press release.
What will happen and when
Most eligible consumers won’t have to file a claim. Once the settlement is approved by the court next spring, payments will be issued automatically through PayPal or Venmo to the email address or phone number tied to each user’s Google Play account. Officials began sending notifications to users in early December via PayPal emails or Venmo texts.
If the email address or phone number tied to your Google Play account does not match a PayPal or Venmo account, you can either create a new PayPal/Venmo account at that address/number or redirect the payment to a different PayPal or Venmo account (one you control).
There’s a supplemental claims process for people who:
- don’t have a PayPal or Venmo account and don’t want to create one; or
- no longer have access to the email address or phone number tied to their Google Play account; or
- expected a payment but never received one.
You can sign up on the settlement website to receive an email when that supplemental process opens.
Important deadlines and legal options
If you prefer to opt out of the settlement so you can pursue your own case against Google, you must submit a request to be excluded (online or in writing) by February 19, 2026. The same deadline — February 19, 2026 — applies for filing written objections to the settlement. A court hearing to consider final approval of the deal is scheduled for April 30, 2026.
Why this matters beyond a refund
The suit — filed in 2021 and resolved with this settlement framework — accused Google of using contractual leverage to limit competition in Android app distribution and in‑app billing, which states say raised costs for consumers. Whether you get a check or not, the case is part of a broader push by state regulators to reshape how big tech platforms operate on mobile devices.
Google’s Play ecosystem continues to evolve in other ways as well: the Play Store has been experimenting with new features such as a digital gift card shop, and Google is rolling out AI features across its products, including Maps. Those product moves won’t affect this settlement but they’re part of the same larger picture of how Google manages Android and Play Store experiences — stuff worth keeping an eye on if you use Android regularly. See the Google Play gift card rollout and Google Maps AI developments for context: Google Play Adds Digital Gift Card Shop and Google Maps Gets Gemini AI Copilot.
A practical tip: check the email address and phone number associated with your Google Play account now so you’ll recognize a PayPal or Venmo notification when it arrives — scammers sometimes mimic legitimate payment notices. If you think you should have been included but don’t receive anything, the supplemental claims process is the route to pursue.
For the official Texas guidance, refer to the Attorney General’s announcement linked above. If you want to be notified when the supplemental claims process begins, submit your contact information on the settlement website and keep an eye on PayPal/Venmo messages tied to your Google Play account.