Professor Barry Rodger brought a standalone case against Google in August 2024, alleging that the company had abused a dominant position in the Android App and Content Distribution market. His claim said Google excluded rival Android app stores and charged excessive prices to UK based Android app developers.
The case is now part of a £1.2 billion class action that Google is preparing to defend in the United Kingdom. The lawsuit alleges excessive fees on applications downloaded through the Google Play Store since 2015, with the alleged overcharging extending for more than a decade.
The central issue is whether Google’s control over Android app distribution allowed it to impose charges that competition could otherwise have constrained. The litigation alleges multi-faceted exclusionary and exploitative abuse of dominance.
Rodger’s claim was certified by the CAT in May 2025. It included ten plus allegations against Google.
Four parties were involved in the litigation: Google; Rodger’s class of Android developers; Ms. Coll’s class of Android consumers; and Epic, a US based Android developer. Ms. Coll represented the consumer class in the consolidated claims.
The claims were consolidated for trial in October 2026. The UK court case covered allegations relating to more than a decade of app downloads through the Google Play Store.
Two weeks before the trial had been scheduled to begin, the CAT approved a £260 million settlement for UK based Android app developers. The agreement is the largest settlement ever secured in a UK collective competition action.
Google is mounting its defence against the remaining £1.2 billion class action. The unresolved claim concerns accusations that Play Store charges were excessive and that Google used its position in Android app distribution to exclude rival stores and overcharge developers and consumers.
The case forms part of a series of legal efforts challenging the market power of large technology companies. Its outcome will bear on UK consumers and app developers, and on whether control of app distribution can be used to raise charges without competition.
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