$425M Google Gmail Privacy Class Action, Did Google Keep Tracking You After You Said Stop?

A federal jury ordered Google to pay $425.7 million in September 2025 after finding the company collected data from roughly 98 million users who had explicitly turned off the “Web & App Activity” privacy setting. Google is appealing the verdict. No claim form exists yet. If you disabled that setting any time between July 2016 and September 2024, you are likely in the class.

Field	Detail
Settlement Amount	$425.7 million (jury verdict — under appeal)
Claim Deadline	TBD — no claim form exists yet
Who Qualifies	Gmail users who turned off Web & App Activity (WAA) between July 1, 2016, and September 23, 2024
Payout Per Person	~$4 estimated (pro rata; final amount TBD pending appeal)
Proof Required	TBD
Settlement Status	Jury verdict entered; Google has filed an appeal
Administrator	TBD — none appointed yet
Official Website	googlewebappactivitylawsuit.com

What Happens Next

• Google has announced it will appeal the verdict, arguing the jury misunderstood how its privacy tools work.
• A separate nationwide federal privacy trial against Google is scheduled for April 2026, which addresses additional data collection claims.
• No claim form or settlement administrator has been appointed. Class members should monitor googlewebappactivitylawsuit.com for updates.

You Told Google to Stop Tracking You — It Kept Going Anyway

The lawsuit alleged that since 2016, Google told users that turning off a privacy setting called “Web & App Activity” would stop the company from collecting their data from third-party apps. Google collected it anyway.

Plaintiffs Julian Santiago and Anibal Rodriguez argued Google unlawfully saved and used information about consumers’ activities on third-party apps even after those users opted out of tracking. The apps in question were not Google products — they included services like Uber, Lyft, Amazon, and Venmo, all of which used Google’s back-end software code.

The eight-person jury in San Francisco federal court found Google liable for invasion of privacy and intrusion upon seclusion under the California Constitution. The jury declined to find a separate violation under California’s Computer Data Access and Fraud Act.

You Had WAA Turned Off Between 2016 and 2024? You’re Likely In the Class

The Court certified two classes. Class 1 covers Android users whose data was transmitted to Google via the Firebase SDK or Google Mobile Ads SDK despite having WAA turned off. Class 2 covers iPhone and other non-Android users where the same SDKs transmitted data despite that same setting being off.

You may qualify if:

• You had a personal Google or Gmail account (not an Enterprise account or a supervised account for users under 13)
• You turned off or paused “Web & App Activity” or “supplemental Web & App Activity” at any point between July 1, 2016, and September 23, 2024
• Your data was still transmitted to Google from non-Google-branded mobile apps during that period

Enterprise accounts — accounts managed by an administrator for businesses, nonprofits, or schools — are excluded from the class. Standard personal Gmail accounts are included.

Related article: $6 Million Meta and YouTube Social Media Addiction Lawsuit: A Jury Just Ruled Against Them Here Is What Comes Next

~$4 Per Person Right Now — But That Number Could Change

The jury verdict covers approximately 98 million Gmail users. If distributed equally, each person would receive roughly $4 before legal fees and administrative costs.

Plaintiffs’ lawyers have asked the court to order Google to disgorge an additional $2.36 billion in profits. Google, for its part, has asked the court to dismantle the class and vacate the verdict entirely. The judge declined to decertify the class but also declined to add the $2.36 billion.

If the appeal fails and the $425 million verdict stands, the actual per-person payment will depend on claim volume, attorney fees (typically 25–33% of the total), and administrative costs. No payment amount is confirmed at this time.

No Claim Form Yet — Here Is What to Do Right Now

Because Google is appealing, no official claim process is open. Filing your information with any third-party website claiming to process claims is not recommended. Here is how to position yourself for when the process does open:

Step 1 — Visit googlewebappactivitylawsuit.com and bookmark it. This is the official case website where claim instructions will appear once the appeal resolves.

Step 2 — Check your Google account settings now. Go to myaccount.google.com → Data & Privacy → Web & App Activity. Document whether the setting is currently on or off.

Step 3 — If you remember disabling WAA at any point between 2016 and 2024, take a screenshot of your current settings and note the approximate date you made that change.

Step 4 — Do not pay any fee or provide financial information to any site claiming to process your claim. Legitimate class action claims are always free.

Step 5 — Sign up for case updates through the official website or check back when Google’s appeal concludes (estimated 12–24 months from September 2025).

Estimated time to complete: 5 minutes

Five Years From First Filing to Jury Verdict — The Timeline

Milestone	Date
Lawsuit filed	July 2020
Class certified by court	January 2025
Trial begins	August 2025
Jury verdict — $425.7 million	September 3, 2025
Google announces appeal	September 2025
Judge declines to decertify class	Late 2025
Claim filing deadline	TBD
Expected payment date	TBD

Questions People Are Actually Asking About This Lawsuit

Can I file a claim right now?

 No. Google is appealing the $425 million verdict. No official claim form exists. Any website claiming to process your Gmail privacy claim right now is not legitimate. Monitor googlewebappactivitylawsuit.com for updates.

Do I need a lawyer to participate in this class action?

 No. Class actions automatically include eligible members. You do not need to hire or pay an attorney. The plaintiffs’ lawyers who litigated this case receive a portion of any final award as their fee.

Is this $425 million verdict real or a scam?

 The verdict is real. A federal jury in the Northern District of California entered the $425.7 million award on September 3, 2025, in the case Rodriguez v. Google LLC. Google disputes it and is appealing. Scammers are running fake claim sites using this case — only trust the official case website.

When would I actually receive money?

 Not soon. Appeals typically add 12 to 24 months to a timeline, and after final approval, settlement administrators need another 6 to 12 months for claim processing and payment distribution. Realistically, payments — if any — are years away.

What if Google wins the appeal?

 If Google’s appeal succeeds, the $425 million verdict is vacated and no payments go to class members. The case could be sent back for a new trial, settled for a lower amount, or dismissed entirely.

Will any settlement payment affect my taxes? 

Potentially yes. Settlement payments from privacy class actions may be treated as taxable income by the IRS depending on the nature of the damages. Consult a tax professional when payments are distributed.

What exactly is “Web & App Activity” and why does it matter? 

WAA is a Google account setting that is supposed to stop Google from saving your activity across apps and websites that use Google services. For eight years, Google collected and saved mobile device data from users who opted out of tracking under the WAA, generating revenue in the process. The jury found that toggle did not actually do what Google said it did.

Is the separate Gemini AI Gmail lawsuit related to this case?

 No. The Gemini class action, filed in November 2025, separately alleges that Google quietly turned on “Smart Features” — including Gemini AI — to scan Gmail, Chat, and Meet communications without user consent, starting around October 10, 2025. That case is brand new and has no settlement or verdict.

Sources

• Rodriguez v. Google LLC, Case No. 3:20-cv-04688 (N.D. Cal.) — official case website: googlewebappactivitylawsuit.com
• Bloomberg Law — federal jury verdict coverage, September 3, 2025
• Reuters — jury verdict report, September 3, 2025
• Thompson Coburn LLP legal analysis, September 5, 2025

Last Updated: March 31, 2026

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Legal claims and outcomes depend on specific facts and applicable law. For advice regarding a particular situation, consult a qualified attorney.