Overview
- Google filed a preliminary $68 million class‑action settlement in San Jose covering U.S. users who bought Assistant‑enabled devices or experienced unintended activations since May 18, 2016, with approval required by U.S. District Judge Beth Labson Freeman.
- Plaintiffs say “false accepts” led Google Assistant to record conversations that were later linked to targeted ads, while Google denies wrongdoing and says it settled to avoid the cost and uncertainty of litigation.
- Individual payments from Google’s proposed fund have not been specified, and plaintiffs’ lawyers may seek up to one‑third of the total, about $22.7 million, in fees.
- Separately, Apple’s $95 million Siri settlement is paying out now, with deposits labeled “Lopez Voice Assistant” reported at roughly $8 per device and up to about $40 for five devices.
- In the same week, Google also proposed a $135 million settlement in a separate Android data‑collection case, which likewise awaits court approval.