CAT approves record £260 million settlement in app developers’ collective action against Google

17/09/26

On 15 September 2026, the Competition Appeal Tribunal (“CAT”) approved a £260 million settlement of the opt-out collective proceedings brought by Professor Barry Rodger on behalf of UK app developers against Google.

The settlement is a landmark for the UK collective proceedings regime: it is both the largest settlement approved by the CAT since the opt-out regime was introduced in 2015 and the fastest settlement of an opt-out collective action to date, with settlement reached less than two years after publication of the claim form.

The proceedings concerned Google’s operation of the Android ecosystem and Google Play Store. Professor Rodger alleged that Google was dominant in the markets for licensable mobile operating systems and Android app distribution, and had abused that dominance through exclusionary conduct which restricted alternative methods of app distribution and through the imposition of excessive and unfair commissions on app developers. Google denied liability.

Settlement was reached shortly before a substantial ten-week trial of the proceedings was due to begin. The settlement approval hearing was chaired by James Wolffe KC.