JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, along with attorneys general from all states and several territories, has secured a $700 million agreement with Google over anticompetitive conduct concerning the Google Play Store.
“Missouri has played a key role in the fight to hold giant tech companies accountable for anticompetitive business practices,” said Attorney General Bailey. “I’m proud to stand with so many other states in protecting consumers across the nation.”
Google must pay $630 million in restitution, minus costs and fees, to consumers who made purchases on the Google Play Store between August 2016 and September 2023 and were harmed by Google’s anticompetitive practices. In addition, the technology giant will pay the states $70 million in penalties. The agreement also requires Google to adopt better business practices, reducing its unfair marketplace power over other companies and consumers.
The coalition of attorneys general sued Google in 2021 for unlawfully monopolizing the market of Android app distribution and in-app payment processing. Specifically, Google signed anticompetitive contracts to prevent other app stores from being preloaded on Android devices, paid key app developers not to launch products on rival app stores, and created technological barriers to deter consumers from directly downloading apps to their devices.
The settlement can be viewed here.