Google Defends Play Store Fees in £1 Billion UK Court Fight

The case, which began Tuesday before London’s Competition Appeal Tribunal, covers roughly 20 million consumers who purchased apps or made in-app payments and subscription purchases through Google Play between 2015 and July 2026, according to Reuters.

Consumer advocate Liz Coll is leading the claim. Her lawyers allege that Google used its position in the Android app-distribution market to impose commissions of as much as 30% on developers selling apps, subscriptions and other digital content through its store, Reuters reported. The plaintiffs contend developers ultimately incorporated those costs into the prices paid by consumers.

The dispute puts the economics of mobile-app stores back under scrutiny as regulators and courts examine the control that major technology companies exercise over software distribution and payments.

Alphabet Inc., Google’s parent company, disputes the allegations. A Google spokesperson said the lawsuit fails to account for the choices available to Android users and maintained that the company charges some of the lowest fees in the market, according to Reuters.

Google’s lawyers also argue that its Play Store operates under substantial competitive pressure from Apple’s App Store and alternative distribution channels. They have described Coll’s claim as lacking merit, Reuters reported.

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Related: Google Reaches £260 Million Deal to Settle UK App Developer Case

The plaintiffs are seeking to establish that Google’s commissions were not merely a cost borne by developers but ultimately resulted in higher consumer prices. As part of their argument, Coll’s lawyers pointed to Google’s own pricing of YouTube Premium through Apple’s App Store, saying Google passed along the commission it faced on that platform, according to Reuters.

The proceeding is part of a wider series of British legal challenges targeting the commercial practices of large technology and entertainment platforms. Similar cases have been brought against Apple and Sony concerning fees of as much as 30% associated with their respective App Store and PlayStation Store businesses, Reuters reported.

Google’s app marketplace has also been the subject of regulatory disputes and private litigation outside the current consumer case.

The company spent years fighting Epic Games, the maker of “Fortnite,” over Play Store rules. Google and Epic reached a global settlement in March under which Google said it would broaden billing choices and reduce fees charged to developers, according to Reuters. Epic’s London litigation had previously been expected to be heard alongside Coll’s case.

Google separately reached a £260 million settlement last month in another lawsuit brought on behalf of app developers. The company did not admit liability or wrongdoing as part of that agreement, Reuters reported.

The latest trial could further define the legal boundaries surrounding app-store commissions in Britain, where courts have increasingly become a venue for mass claims challenging the business models of some of the world’s largest technology companies.

Source: Reuters