The Taylor v. Google Android cellular data settlement is a proposed $135 million class action resolution covering an estimated 100 million U.S. Android users whose phones sent data to Google over cellular networks in the background. Individual payments are capped at $100, no claim form is required, and the class period runs from November 12, 2017 through the date the settlement receives final court approval. Judge Virginia K. DeMarchi granted preliminary approval on March 5, 2026, and set a final approval hearing for June 23, 2026 in the Northern District of California.
What the Case Was About
The plaintiffs alleged that Android devices routinely transferred data to Google over cellular networks even when phones were idle — screens locked, apps closed, no user activity. Because carriers meter data, those “passive” transfers consumed part of the cellular allotment users had paid for.
The legal theory was conversion: that a paid cellular data plan is personal property, and Google used pieces of it without permission for its own purposes, including product development and targeted advertising. Google denied the allegations throughout the litigation and characterized the conduct as “standard industry practices that keep Android safe.”
A California state-court jury in a parallel case, Csupo v. Google LLC, returned a verdict of $314,626,932 against Google on the same conversion theory in July 2025. That verdict shaped the federal settlement talks that followed.
Who Is Eligible
The settlement class includes all living persons in the United States who used an Android mobile device with a cellular data plan to access the internet between November 12, 2017 and the date of final court approval. The estimated class size is about 100 million people.
You are excluded if you are a member of the Csupo v. Google LLC class in California — that case is a separate resolution for California Android users, and no one collects from both. Google’s officers, the presiding judge and immediate family, and class counsel are also excluded.
If you owned or used an Android phone on a cellular plan at any point in that roughly eight-year window, you are almost certainly in the class. Wi-Fi-only tablets and iPhones are not covered.
How Much You Can Get
Google agreed to pay $135 million into a non-reversionary fund, so any unspent money stays with the class rather than reverting to Google. From that fund, the court will deduct administrative costs, taxes, attorney fees, expenses, and service awards to the named plaintiffs before the remainder is distributed pro rata to eligible class members.
Individual payments are capped at $100 per person. With roughly 100 million potential class members and a fund of that size, most people who claim should expect meaningfully less than the cap; the exact per-person amount depends on how many class members are reached and paid.
Class counsel will request up to 29.5% of the settlement fund in fees, plus reimbursement of up to about $750,000 in expenses. Each of the three named plaintiffs — Joseph Taylor, Mick Cleary, and Jennifer Nelson — intends to request a service award of up to $25,000. All of those figures are subject to court approval.
How to Get Paid
No claim form is required. The settlement administrator is attempting to reach every eligible class member by mail or email with a personalized notice that contains a Notice ID and Confirmation Code.
To select how you want to be paid, go to the official settlement website at federalcellularclassaction.com and enter the Notice ID and Confirmation Code from your notice. There you can choose your preferred electronic payment method.
If you do nothing, you are still bound by the settlement and give up your right to sue Google over these claims. The administrator will still try to send payment automatically, but not selecting a payment method creates a real risk that you won’t actually receive money. Selecting a method is the safer path.
Timeline and Current Status
The case was filed in November 2020. After a dismissal, a Ninth Circuit reversal, extensive discovery, and mediation, the parties reached a definitive settlement on December 23, 2025.
Preliminary approval was granted on March 5, 2026, and Google did not oppose it. The deadline to opt out or file an objection was May 29, 2026, and has passed; any objections filed by that date will be heard at the final approval hearing.
The final approval hearing is scheduled for June 23, 2026. As of mid-June 2026, no payments have been distributed. Even if the court grants final approval, payments will follow only after any appeals are resolved, which can take additional months.
What Google Agreed to Change on Android
Beyond the money, the settlement requires Google to change how it discloses and controls background cellular data use on Android. Google must update its Google Play Terms of Service, relevant Help Center pages, and Android device setup screens to disclose that certain system services use cellular data in the background, including when the device is locked, and that these transfers cannot be turned off.
Google must also deactivate or “gray out” the mobile background data toggle in Google Play services, so it no longer appears that users can switch these transfers off when in fact they cannot.
If You Are a California Android User
California residents who used Android phones are covered by the separate Csupo v. Google LLC state-court settlement of $350 million, contingent on the court vacating the original jury verdict. Class counsel in that case is the same team — Korein Tillery and Bartlit Beck — and the Csupo approval hearing was scheduled for February 24, 2026. Members of the Csupo class are explicitly excluded from the federal Taylor settlement described here, so if you receive notice through the California case, that is your route to compensation rather than this one.
The Bottom Line for Class Members
If you used an Android phone on a cellular plan in the United States at any point since November 12, 2017, watch your mail and email for a notice with a Notice ID and Confirmation Code, then use federalcellularclassaction.com to pick a payment method. Payments will be capped at $100 per person and will not go out until after the June 23, 2026 final approval hearing and any resulting appeals.