UK app developers in line for compensation as Google settles £260 million claim
Key Points
- Google has agreed a £260 million settlement with UK app developers over Play Store commissions.
- £160 million goes to developers, with £100 million covering the costs of the case.
- The class covers UK developers who sold digital content on the Play Store from August 2018.
- The Competition Appeal Tribunal considers approval at a hearing on 15 September 2026.
- Google made no admission of liability and says it has strong defences to the claim.
UK app developers are in line for a share of £260 million after Google agreed to settle a collective claim over its Play Store commissions.
The proposed settlement covers UK-domiciled developers who sold digital content through apps distributed on the Play Store from August 2018 onwards, many of them small and medium-sized businesses.
Competition law academic Barry Rodger brought the opt-out collective action on their behalf, alleging that Google abused its dominant position and charged an unfair commission on Play Store transactions, usually 30%.
The Competition Appeal Tribunal must approve the deal before any money moves, and it will consider the settlement at a hearing on 15 September 2026.
Under the terms of the agreement, £160 million goes to developers who sold an app on the Play Store between August 2018 and July 2026, with a further £100 million covering the costs of bringing and funding the case, Reuters reported.
The amount each developer receives will depend on their qualifying sales on the Play Store during that period.
Google made no admission of liability or wrongdoing as part of the settlement, and its lawyers stated in the agreement that the company believes it has strong defences to the claim.
The claim previously carried a value of just over £1 billion, and the case was due to reach trial next month before the tribunal in London.
“For thousands of UK app developers, many of them small businesses, the Play Store is the only realistic route to their customers – and they had little choice but to pay Google’s commission,” said Barry Rodger, class representative and Professor of Law at the University of Strathclyde.
“If approved, meaningful financial compensation will become available for businesses that could never have taken on a company like Google alone.”
Law firm Geradin Partners represented Rodger throughout the proceedings, and it describes the payout as the largest secured for class members in any proposed settlement under the UK regime.
“This is the largest settlement to date since the CAT opt out regime was launched and it should see money getting into developers’ hands less than three years after the claim was filed,” said Damien Geradin, founding partner of Geradin Partners.
The case is the fourth of its kind against a major technology company since the start of 2025, following similar collective claims against Apple, Qualcomm and Sony.
Developers stay in the class automatically unless they actively opt out, and those who want updates on how to claim can register on the claim’s website.
