Google to pay $700 million in app store lawsuit settlement

Google agreed to pay about $630 million in compensation to more than a million consumers and $70 million to states that participated in the lawsuit, according to court documents filed Monday. The company settled the case in September, but details of the agreement were not made publicly available until this week. The antitrust lawsuit alleged that Google stifled competition against its Android app store and drove up the prices of digital transactions.

What other consequences does the company face? The agreement requires Google to allow app developers to offer alternative in-app billing systems alongside Google Play. Google also agreed to make it easier for consumers to install apps from third-party app stores and websites. Meanwhile, a jury last week sided with Epic Games in a lawsuit that claimed that Google’s app store gives it an illegal monopoly.

Dig deeper: Read Brad Littlejohn’s column in WORLD Opinions about a bipartisan bill that aims to reign in monopolies.