Google is to face an 11-week trial in legal action for over £1bn in damages brought on behalf of thousands of UK app developers who were allegedly overcharged for using Google’s Play Store.
In May 2025, the Competition Appeal Tribunal authorised Professor Barry Rodger to bring the case on behalf of UK app developers on an ‘opt-out’ basis, meaning eligible developers are automatically included unless they choose to opt out.
Google had sought to require certain app developers to actively opt in to the case shortly before trial, forcing them to put themselves forward publicly or be excluded from the case. The Tribunal rejected Google’s application.
The claim seeks compensation for UK app developers who sold apps, subscriptions or in-app digital content through the Google Play Store from August 2018 and paid commission to Google on those sales.
Rodger alleges that Google abused its dominant position in Android app distribution by using technical and contractual restrictions to limit competition and make Google Play the essential route to market for UK app developers seeking to reach Android users.
Google is accused of then using that position to charge excessive and unfair commissions of up to 30% on sales of apps, subscriptions and in-app digital content. The claim seeks compensation for alleged revenue losses suffered by UK app developers, including SMEs. Google denies the claim.
The trial will examine the commercial terms on which UK app developers have had to distribute apps and sell digital content through Google Play.
Rodger alleges that, in a fair and competitive market, app developers would have paid less to Google to distribute their apps, subscriptions and in-app digital content. Instead, he alleges, Google charged excessive commissions and reduced the revenue retained by developers from their own products.
For many app developers, Rodger says those commissions shaped what businesses could afford to build, who they could hire, and how much they could grow. The claim seeks to recover what they allegedly lost.
“This is a significant moment for UK app developers,” says Rodger. “Many small businesses have had little realistic choice but to use Google Play Store to reach Android customers. The cost of doing so, we believe, was excessive and unfair.”
The trial will begin on September 28.
