Google’s £1bn battle over ‘hidden’ Play Store charges goes to trial in UK

Google has been hit with a lawsuit in the UK seeking £1 billion in damages on the behalf of millions of consumers over alleged “hidden” play store charges.

The lawsuit is being filed by Liz Coll, a consumer tech policy expert and former manager at charity Citizens Advice, on behalf of approximately 20 million UK consumers and businesses who made purchases on the Google Play Store or through an Android phone between October 2015 and July 2026.

The legal battle revolves around a claim that Google breached competition by imposing a commission of up to 30 percent on app developers. This commission was paid by customers and buyers through high prices in the form of paid apps, subscriptions, and in-game purchases like extra lives or ad-free upgrades.

According to Liz Coll "Millions of us have paid for apps, games and subscriptions on our phones without knowing a hidden charge was built into the price.”

"This trial is about getting that money back for people who use their phone and apps every day.

In the class action, it was alleged that around £3 was passed onto players through higher prices.

The claim is going to be heard in the UK’s Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT), with proceedings commencing on Tuesday.

However, Google defended itself by claiming that its Play Store offers some of the lowest fees available in the market while vowing to defend its services vigorously.

A spokesman said, "Android gives people more choice than any other mobile platform in deciding which apps and app stores they use, with Play offering some of the lowest fees in the market.”

"This lawsuit ignores that choice as well as the competitive market in which we operate, and we will defend our services vigorously."

Legal proceedings began in 2021 but it experienced delays. In September, Google's parent company, Alphabet, agreed to pay £260 million to settle a class action lawsuit filed on behalf of UK app developers.