Google Pays $68M to Settle Unauthorized Recording Lawsuit

Google has agreed to pay $68 million to settle a class-action lawsuit alleging that the tech giant recorded user conversations without consent, according to the settlement administrator’s portal. The lawsuit, filed at the US District Court for the Northern District of California, San Jose Division, claims that Google Assistant wrongfully collected, used and disclosed audio recordings even when users did not activate the app.

Allegations and Device Behavior

The lawsuit alleges that Google Assistant-enabled devices experience “false accepts,” instances where devices automatically begin recording conversations despite users not using a hotword such as “Okay Google.”

Class Member Eligibility

People who bought a Google-made device, used Google Assistant, or were household members of Google Assistant users in the US or its territories from May 18th, 2016, to March 19th, 2026, are eligible as class members.

Settlement Fund Distribution

The $68 million settlement fund will be allocated to pay notice and administration costs, escrow fees, taxes, lawyer fees, service awards to plaintiffs, and other costs. Remaining funds will be distributed proportionally to class members based on their total number of points.

Those who purchased Google-made devices will receive four points for each device, with a maximum of three devices. Users who used Google Assistant or were household members of Google Assistant users will receive one point.

Claim Submission Deadline

Affected users may submit a claim through the settlement portal on or before August 27th.

Google’s Position

Google denies all claims and any wrongdoing or liability. According to the settlement notice: “The Court did not decide in favor of the Plaintiffs or Google. Instead, both sides agreed to a Settlement. That way, both sides avoid the costs and risks of a trial, and the Settlement Class Members will receive the benefits described in this Notice, whereas they might otherwise get nothing. The proposed Settlement does not mean that any law was broken or that Google did anything wrong.”