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It seems that millions of Google users might now be eligible for a payout after the company agreed to settle a privacy lawsuit for $68 million, and claims are now officially open.
The settlement stems from allegations the tech giant’s virtual assistant, known as Google Assistant, recorded conversations had by users without their knowledge after being triggered by so-called ‘false activations’.
These incidents tend to happen when the voice assistant mistakenly believes it has heard its ‘wake’ word and begins listening or recording despite not being intentionally activated.
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While Google has denied any wrongdoing, the firm agreed to the settlement and, if you think you might have been impacted, here is exactly how you can claim compensation.
For those hoping to claim compensation, you must first meet specific eligibility requirements.
The settlement covers people who purchased a Google-made device in the US or its territories between May 18 2016, and March 19 2026.
It also includes users whose private communications were allegedly recorded, captured, or obtained by Google Assistant following a false activation.
Eligible users can now submit a claim through the official settlement website using a Unique ID and PIN, which will have been distributed in settlement emails.
Anyone who believes they qualify but has not received those details can request them through the claims portal.
If you get that far then you’ll need to provide proof of purchase to accept your claim, including things like Google Store order confirmations, Google account purchase histories, retail receipts, bank statements, or credit card records showing the transaction.
So, how much money will you receive from Google? Well, that all depends on how many people make a claim.
According to court documents, purchasers who qualify could receive between $18 and $56 per eligible device.
Meanwhile, users who did not purchase a Google device but had conversations recorded as part of a false activation could receive between $2 and $10.
Of course, a large portion of the settlement is going to pay off the lawyers involved in the case.
As with many large class-action settlements, the legal fees add up and a whopping one-third of the amount agreed will be going towards paying that off, if approved by the court. This equals to $22.7 million in legal fees alone.
Anyone planning to file a claim should be aware of the deadline as claims must be submitted by August 27 2026. A final approval hearing for the case is scheduled for October 1 2026.
