Google Assistant Privacy Settlement: $68M, Open
At a glance
- Status
- Open
- Defendant
- Google LLC
- Settlement fund
- $68,000,000
- Claim deadline
- August 27, 2026
- No-proof cash option
- Yes — point-based pro-rata; privacy-only class ~$2-$10, device purchasers ~$18-$56 per device
- Estimated payout
- point-based pro-rata; privacy-only class ~$2-$10, device purchasers ~$18-$56 per device
- Administrator
- A.B. Data, Ltd.
- Official site
- www.googleassistantprivacylitigation.com
- Court
- U.S. District Court, Northern District of California
- Case number
- 5:19-cv-04286 (In re Google Assistant Privacy Litigation), No. 5:19-cv-04286
Last verified July 16, 2026
Key dates
| Milestone | Date | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Claim deadline | August 27, 2026 | Last day to file for a payment |
| Opt-out (exclusion) deadline | August 27, 2026 | Last day to leave the settlement and keep the right to sue |
| Objection deadline | None listed | Last day to object to the terms |
| Final approval hearing | October 1, 2026 | When the judge decides whether to approve the settlement |
| Expected payout | Not yet scheduled | Payments are not sent until after final approval and any appeals |
Where to file
Google Assistant Privacy Litigation Settlement is administered by A.B. Data, Ltd.. The only place to file is the official settlement website:
File at the official sitewww.googleassistantprivacylitigation.com
Filing is free. No legitimate settlement charges a fee to file a claim.
You cannot file on RecordingLaw.com. We are an independent publisher, not the settlement administrator, and we are not affiliated with any court, agency, or defendant.
Google Assistant privacy settlement: $68 million fund, open for claims
If you are searching "Google Assistant settlement," here is the short answer: as of July 2026, it is open. Google has agreed to pay $68 million to resolve claims that Google Assistant sometimes recorded people without a deliberate 'Hey Google' or 'OK Google' trigger, and that some of those recordings were sent to outside reviewers. The deadline to file a claim, or to exclude yourself from the case, is August 27, 2026.
This page explains what the lawsuit actually alleged, who is covered, why no one, including the settlement's own administrator, will tell you an exact dollar amount right now, and how to file if you decide to.
What the lawsuit was about
The case is the Google Assistant Privacy Litigation, pending in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California as case number 5:19-cv-04286, against Google LLC. The plaintiffs' core allegation involves what the case record calls a 'false accept': a moment when Google Assistant activates and starts recording on a Google-made device without the person deliberately saying a wake word.
The case also covers recordings that were disclosed to a third-party review vendor, meaning sent outside Google to a contractor for human review rather than staying inside Google's own systems. Google has not admitted wrongdoing by settling. A settlement resolves a case without either side having to prove its version of events at trial.
Google Assistant is the voice assistant built into Google-made phones, smart speakers, and other hardware. It is designed to listen for a wake phrase before recording anything, and the lawsuit's central claim is that it did not always work that way, sometimes capturing audio the person never intended to send anywhere.
The class period runs from May 18, 2016 to March 19, 2026, a nearly ten-year window. It covers both device purchases and alleged recordings during that time.
Where the settlement stands right now
As of July 2026, the settlement is open. The claim deadline is August 27, 2026, and that same date is also the deadline to exclude yourself from the class. Filing a claim and opting out are opposite choices that happen to share a deadline here: filing asks for money and keeps you in the class, while opting out removes you from the class and gives up any payment while preserving your right to sue Google separately.
A final approval hearing is scheduled for October 1, 2026, which is after the claim deadline. That means the court has allowed claims to be submitted while the settlement's final terms are still pending a judge's sign-off. Nothing about the final outcome is guaranteed until that hearing happens.
Who is actually in the class
You may be part of the class if, between May 18, 2016 and March 19, 2026, either of two things is true for you. First, you are a U.S. resident who purchased a Google-made device. Second, whether or not you purchased a device, your communications were recorded or obtained by Google Assistant through a false accept, or were disclosed to a third-party review vendor. Only one of these needs to be true, not both.
That is a broad class definition. Owning or having owned a qualifying Google device during that window may be enough on its own; you do not necessarily need to prove Assistant recorded a specific private conversation of yours to qualify under the device-purchase path.
How much people realistically get
This is the part worth reading slowly, because it is genuinely unusual among these settlements. The official settlement site describes the payout as point-based and pro rata; it does not commit to a fixed dollar amount per claimant. How much any individual receives depends on how many valid claims are filed in total, how the point system weighs different ways of qualifying, and what the court approves for attorneys' fees and administrative costs before the $68 million fund is divided.
Some sites you may find while searching quote specific per-claimant dollar ranges for this settlement. Treat those as unverified estimates, not promises. The official settlement site itself does not state a fixed payout figure, so no outside source can honestly hand you an exact number either. The only place that will calculate and confirm what you actually receive is the official claims administrator, after the claim deadline closes and the total number of valid claims is known.
What is certain is that this is a shared, common fund. It is split among everyone who files a valid claim, not a fixed amount handed to each person. If more people file than the fund can support at a higher rate, individual shares shrink to fit.
Because there are two different ways to qualify for this class, a device purchase or a recorded communication, the point system may weigh those differently from one another. The official site does not break down exactly how, and this page will not guess at a split it cannot verify.
What proof you need to file
This settlement does not require you to submit receipts, device serial numbers, or bills to file a claim. You attest on the claim form to how you qualify, whether that is a device purchase or a recorded communication, rather than proving it with documentation.
If you are filing because you purchased a Google-made device, you attest to that purchase within the class period. If you are filing because your communications were recorded through a false accept or disclosed to a review vendor, you attest to that instead. Either path uses the same self-attestation approach; neither one asks you to submit supporting evidence just to file.
How to file
Claims are filed only through the official settlement site, googleassistantprivacylitigation.com, ahead of the August 27, 2026 deadline. The site is run by A.B. Data, Ltd., the court-appointed claims administrator. RecordingLaw does not process claims, collect your information for this settlement, or have any role in deciding who gets paid.
If you would rather stay out of the class entirely and preserve your own right to sue Google separately, the exclusion process is also handled through the official site, by the same August 27, 2026 deadline. If you want to object to the settlement's terms instead, meaning you stay in the class but tell the judge you think the deal is unfair, that is a separate process again, with the same August 27, 2026 deadline; check the official site for current filing instructions.
If you're reading this after the deadline, or you're not sure this applies to you
This is a privacy lawsuit over how Google Assistant handled voice recordings, not a data breach. There is no indication in the case record that Social Security numbers, passwords, or financial account information were exposed. That means the usual post-breach playbook, freezing your credit at the three bureaus and watching for new accounts opened in your name, is not the most useful response here.
More useful: check your own Google account. Google's Voice & Audio Activity settings let you see what Assistant has recorded, delete past recordings, and turn off the setting that stores new audio going forward. The Federal Trade Commission also publishes general guidance on protecting your privacy with voice-enabled and internet-connected devices, which applies well beyond this one lawsuit.
Google Assistant is not the only voice assistant that has faced scrutiny over unintended recordings. If you use any voice-enabled device, it is worth periodically checking what it is allowed to listen for, what gets stored, and whether you can set recordings to delete automatically instead of letting them accumulate indefinitely.
If you are trying to figure out what rights you have over your personal data more broadly, RecordingLaw's overview of data privacy laws explains what protections apply depending on your state. And if you came across a mention of a different settlement and want to check whether it is real before you act on it, RecordingLaw's settlement tracker lists verified, currently open consumer settlements sourced from official administrator sites rather than search results.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Google Assistant settlement still accepting claims?
Yes. As of July 2026, the Google Assistant Privacy Litigation settlement is open, and the deadline to file a claim is August 27, 2026.
What is the Google Assistant Privacy Litigation about?
The Google Assistant Privacy Litigation, case No. 5:19-cv-04286 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, alleges Google Assistant sometimes activated and recorded without a deliberate wake word, called a 'false accept', and that some recordings were disclosed to a third-party review vendor. Google has not admitted wrongdoing by settling.
How much money will I get from the Google Assistant settlement?
There is no fixed answer. The official settlement site describes payment as point-based and pro rata rather than a set dollar amount, so your share depends on the total number of valid claims filed and what the court approves for fees and costs before the $68 million fund is divided. Be skeptical of any other site that states a specific dollar figure for you, since the official administrator itself does not.
Who is eligible for the Google Assistant settlement?
You may be eligible if, between May 18, 2016 and March 19, 2026, you purchased a Google-made device in the U.S., or your communications were recorded or obtained by Google Assistant through a false accept or disclosed to a third-party review vendor. Only one of those has to apply to you.
Do I need to prove I was recorded to file a claim?
No. This settlement does not require receipts, device serial numbers, or other documentation. You attest on the claim form to how you qualify.
What is the difference between opting out of and objecting to the Google Assistant settlement?
Opting out means leaving the class entirely: you give up any payment from the $68 million fund but keep your right to sue Google separately. Objecting means staying in the class while asking the judge to change or reject the settlement's terms. For this settlement, the deadline to opt out is the same as the claim deadline, August 27, 2026.
When does the Google Assistant settlement become final?
Not yet. A final approval hearing is scheduled for October 1, 2026, which is after the claim deadline. Until a judge grants final approval at or after that hearing, the settlement's terms are not locked in.
Is this the same lawsuit as other Google privacy settlements I've seen?
No. Google is a party to several separate privacy matters covering different conduct. This page covers only the Google Assistant Privacy Litigation, case No. 5:19-cv-04286, over Assistant's false-accept recordings; it does not cover other Google lawsuits over unrelated conduct like location tracking.
How do I know a 'Google Assistant settlement' claim site is legitimate?
File only at googleassistantprivacylitigation.com, run by claims administrator A.B. Data, Ltd. Since the official site itself does not promise a specific dollar amount, treat any site or message that guarantees you a set payout, or asks for payment to 'process' your claim, as a red flag.
How to tell a settlement notice is real
Check the case name, case number, and court against the official settlement site. Go to that site directly instead of clicking a link in an email or text. Nobody legitimate will call, text, or email out of the blue asking for your Social Security number, bank account, or card details, and nobody will charge you to file. Report anyone who does at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
Informational only. Not legal, tax, or financial advice, and not affiliated with any settlement.
RecordingLaw.com is an independent legal-information publisher. We are not a law firm, not a settlement administrator, and not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of any court, government agency, defendant, or claims administrator described on this page. Reading this page does not create an attorney-client relationship.
We do not process claims and we never collect your claim information. You cannot file a claim on RecordingLaw.com. To file, opt out, object, or check your status, use only the official settlement administrator identified above. We link to it for your convenience.
Filing a legitimate claim is free. No legitimate settlement or administrator will charge you a fee to file, or ask for your Social Security number, bank, or card details by unsolicited call, text, or email. If someone does, it is likely a scam. Report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
Deadlines, amounts, and approval status change and are set by the court. We verify against the official administrator and court records, but confirm the current details on the official site before acting. Nothing here guarantees eligibility, a payment, or any amount. Settlement payments may be taxable. See IRS Publication 4345. and consult a tax professional. For advice about your specific situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state. Affiliate disclosure.
Sources and References
- Federal Trade Commission: Protecting Consumer Privacy and Security(ftc.gov).gov
- Google Assistant Privacy Litigation (Official Court-Authorized Settlement Site): Home(googleassistantprivacylitigation.com)
- Google Assistant Privacy Litigation (Official Court-Authorized Settlement Site): Frequently Asked Questions(googleassistantprivacylitigation.com)
- Google Search Help: Manage Audio Recordings in Your Web & App Activity(support.google.com)