Google has been ordered to face an 11-week UK trial over Play Store commissions in a class action worth more than GBP £1 billion, brought on behalf of thousands of UK app developers.
The case will be heard from late September 2026 after the Competition Appeal Tribunal rejected Google's attempt to require some larger developers to opt in to the proceedings instead of remaining covered by the existing opt-out framework.
The action is being led by Professor Barry Rodger, a competition law academic at Strathclyde University Law School, acting as class representative for UK-domiciled third-party app developers that sold apps, subscriptions and digital content through Google Play from August 2018 and paid commission on those sales.
The claim alleges that Google abused a dominant position in Android app distribution by using technical and contractual restrictions that limited competition and made the Play Store the main route to market for developers seeking Android users in the UK.
It also alleges that Google charged excessive commissions of up to 30% on app sales, subscriptions and in-app digital content. The case argues that those charges reduced the revenue retained by developers and caused losses across a sector that includes many small and medium-sized businesses.
Google denies the claim.
The Tribunal's latest ruling means the action will proceed on the opt-out basis approved earlier. That structure automatically includes eligible developers unless they choose to remove themselves from the case, an important point given the breadth of the proposed class.
Shortly before trial, Google sought to require certain larger app developers to actively sign up to remain in the proceedings. The Tribunal rejected that application, allowing the existing class definition to stand.
Global scrutiny
The UK litigation comes amid broader pressure on Google's app store practices in several jurisdictions. Regulators and courts in the UK, the EU, the US and Australia have all examined aspects of Google's control over app distribution and payments within the Android ecosystem.
In the UK, the Competition and Markets Authority has designated Google as having strategic market status in relation to its mobile platform, including Android and native app distribution. In the EU, the European Commission has issued preliminary findings under the Digital Markets Act on Google Play and restrictions affecting how developers direct users to other sales channels.
According to the claimants, courts in the US and Australia have also found that Google breached competition laws by restricting rival app stores and payment methods. Google previously settled a similar dispute with Epic Games in the US and the UK and agreed to lower future Play Store commissions for developers, though no compensation for past charges was agreed in that matter.
The UK case will test whether the commissions paid by developers through Google Play were higher than they would have been in a more competitive market. It will also examine whether the structure of Android app distribution left developers with little practical alternative if they wanted access to Android customers.
That issue has become central to antitrust debates around mobile software marketplaces, where platform owners control access to users, set distribution terms and often require the use of their own billing systems for digital transactions.
For developers, the commissions are a direct commercial cost tied to every sale of an app, subscription or in-app item. The claim argues that these charges were not incidental but a material factor in how much revenue app businesses could keep from their products.
Developer claims
The class covers developers that sold through Google Play in the UK from August 2018 onwards. The damages sought exceed GBP £1 billion, reflecting what the claim describes as lost revenue caused by inflated commission rates.
Professor Rodger said the case concerns businesses that had few realistic alternatives to Google Play when trying to reach Android users.
"This is a significant moment for UK app developers. 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.
"A landmark trial against Google is right around the corner.
"Any UK app developers who think they are affected should get in touch confidentially at www.googleplaystoredeveloperclaim.com/register. It takes minutes and it costs nothing," said Professor Barry Rodger, class representative.
The 11-week hearing is set to become one of the most closely watched competition cases in the UK technology sector, with the Tribunal due to assess both Google's market position in Android app distribution and the level of commissions charged through the Play Store.