Google is set to go to trial in London on October 5, 2026, over the commissions it charges on Google Play Store purchases. The case is a UK consumer class action brought on behalf of an estimated 19.5 to 20 million Android users. It will be heard at the Competition Appeal Tribunal. Unlike the developer claim Google settled in August, this one did not settle.
What the Claim Alleges
The case is formally Elizabeth Helen Coll v Alphabet Inc and others, case number 1408/7/7/21. It argues that Google’s technical and contractual restrictions made the Play Store and Google’s own billing the only practical route for buying Android apps and in-app content.
On that basis, the claim says Google was able to charge an unfair commission of up to 30%. It further alleges that developers passed that cost on to the people buying from them. The total compensation at stake is reported at roughly £1 billion. That figure comes from secondary coverage rather than a filing, so treat it as a reported number.
Who Is Covered
This is an opt-out collective action, which means affected UK consumers are included by default. The claim period covers purchases made in the UK Google Play Store between October 1, 2015 and January 30, 2026. Whether any money reaches those buyers depends entirely on how the Tribunal rules.
Not the Developer Case That Already Settled
This claim is easy to confuse with the one Google has already closed out. In August 2026, Google agreed to pay £260 million to settle a UK claim from around 2,200 app developers. That covered the developer side of the same conduct and is finished.
The consumer claim is a different matter. A separate Epic Games claim is being case-managed alongside it, but Epic is seeking injunctive relief rather than damages for consumers. Only the Coll claim is about compensation for buyers.
Why This One Matters to Buyers
Play Store commission usually reaches readers as an abstraction, buried in an app’s price. Courts and regulators have forced changes to Play’s behaviour before, including a court order on how Play surfaces rival app stores. A damages ruling is a different kind of outcome. It would put a number on what a decade of that commission cost ordinary Android users in the UK.
What Happens Next
The trial is scheduled to open on October 5, 2026, at the Tribunal in London. Google is expected to defend the claim rather than settle it. We will cover the Tribunal’s decision when it lands.
Sources: Competition Appeal Tribunal, Hausfeld & Co press release, via AI Journal, Computing
