Google’s Google Play Store is the default marketplace for apps on most Android devices, and for years many developers have had to use Google Play Billing for in‑app purchases—often paying a commission that critics say raises prices. In a case brought by attorneys general from all 50 states, regulators argued that Google maintained an unlawful monopoly over Android app distribution and in‑app payment processing, limiting competition and leaving consumers to pay more for apps and digital add‑ons. Google agreed to a $630 million settlement without admitting wrongdoing, covering consumers in the U.S., D.C., Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands who made qualifying Google Play purchases between Aug. 16, 2016 and Sept. 30, 2023. The lawsuit matters because it targets the “gatekeeper” power of major app stores—how platform rules can steer users and developers into a single store and payment system. Under the proposed settlement, eligible consumers will automatically receive payments (with a minimum of $2) unless they opt out, and the case sets a notable precedent for state-led antitrust enforcement in the digital economy. Key dates include a Feb. 19, 2026 deadline to exclude or object and an April 30, 2026 final approval hearing in the Northern District of California (State of Utah, et al. v. Google LLC, No. 3:21-cv-05227-JD). More broadly, the dispute fits into a wider regulatory push—alongside federal antitrust scrutiny and global rules like the EU’s Digital Markets Act—to curb perceived self-preferencing and forced tying of payment services by dominant platforms. Similar battles have played out across the app ecosystem, including high-profile litigation and settlements over whether app store operators can block alternative app stores, restrict “steering” users to cheaper payment options, or require exclusive use of in-app billing, issues that could reshape how mobile software is sold and paid for across the industry.