CA jury finds against Google in idle cellular data case — and it’s being fined $314 million

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A California court just declared that Google will have to pay $314.6 million to Android phone users in the state as punishment for misuse of their data.

The class action lawsuit was first filed back in 2019 on behalf of around 14 million Californians. According to the report from Reuters, Google has been found liable for sending and receiving data from users' devices without permission while the phone was idle. In turn, this meant that the customer’s cellular data was being used without their consent.

According to the lawsuit, this placed what it described as "mandatory and unavoidable burdens shouldered by Android device users for Google's benefit." Quoted in the Reuters report, plaintiff attorney Glen Summers claimed that the ruling “forcefully vindicates the merits of this case and reflects the seriousness of Google’s misconduct.”

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Reuters goes on to state that Google’s spokesperson, Jose Castaneda, made a statement that Google would be appealing the decision, as the verdict "misunderstands services that are critical to the security, performance, and reliability of Android devices." Google also told the court that no Android users were hurt by the data transfer, and that all of the actions were consented to by agreeing to the terms of service and the privacy policies.

While this case is specifically based in California, Google is involved with another lawsuit, based on the same claims, but at the federal level covering the other 49 states. However, that case is scheduled for trial in April 2026, so it will likely be a while before we hear more.

While Google may plan to appeal, there is no doubt that this case will cause them to appear in a negative light to some consumers. For some, this will turn them away from every using a Google phone, but with so many options it can be hard to find the right phone. We have a breakdown of the best iPhones if you want to move away from the Android ecosystem.

Google’s next Made By Google hardware event is rumored to be happening in August. While we don’t know for certain which devices will be unveiled, it is expected that we will see the Google Pixel 10 series at the event.

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Staff Writer

Josh is a staff writer for Tom's Guide and is based in the UK. He has worked for several publications but now works primarily on mobile phones. Outside of phones, he has a passion for video games, novels, and Warhammer. 

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