Google Fights £1 Billion UK Lawsuit over App Store Fees in Latest Big Tech Case
The class action alleges Google passed up to 30% Play Store commissions into higher prices for paid apps, subscriptions and in-app purchases.
- On Tuesday, October 6, 2026, the Competition Appeal Tribunal begins hearing a class-action claim against Google seeking more than £1 billion for alleged "hidden charges" on Play Store app purchases.
- Consumer tech policy expert Liz Coll alleges the tech giant broke competition law by charging app developers up to 30% commission, costs she asserts were passed onto users through higher prices.
- Covering purchases between October 1, 2015, and July 31, 2026, the case impacts around 20 million UK consumers; a £10 Candy Crush in-game purchase included a £3 commission kept by the firm.
- A spokesperson stated the company will "defend our services vigorously" while maintaining its fees are competitive, though the CAT previously ruled against Apple for similar practices last year.
- Following a separate £260 million settlement by Alphabet in September, this consumer trial proceeds despite delays since the 2021 legal filing, reflecting ongoing regulatory scrutiny of app store practices.
40 Articles
40 Articles
Google’s 30% Play Store Tax Faces £1.2 Billion Reckoning in UK Court
A £1.2 billion UK class action opened against Google this week alleging its 30% Play Store commissions inflated prices for 20 million consumers over a decade. Following a recent £260m developer settlement, Liz Coll's case tests whether those fees passed on to everyday users. The trial could reshape platform accountability.
Google accused of overcharging 20 million UK consumers over Play Store fees
Google is defending a £1.2B claim at London’s Competition Appeal Tribunal brought for about 20 million British consumers who say Play Store commissions of up to 30% were passed into the prices they paid since October 2015. It settled an equivalent claim from UK app developers for £260M six weeks ago without admitting wrongdoing. Google […] This story continues at The Next Web
Google has been accused of abusing its dominant position to charge excessive commissions from app developers in a collective consumer action valued at over a billion pounds (US$1.33 billion), whose trial started in London on Tuesday (6). The case — driven on behalf of about 20 million consumers who bought apps from Google's Play Store or paid for purchases and subscriptions within the apps between 2015 and July of this year — is the latest in th…
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