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Eligible people in the U.S. have until Thursday to file a claim in a long-running privacy lawsuit involving Google Assistant.
Google agreed to a proposed $68 million settlement after users accused Google of allowing its voice-activated assistant to record private conversations without their knowledge.
Google Assistant lawsuit claim deadline
Big picture view:
The deadline to submit a claim is Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026.
Eligible residents must complete and submit a valid claim form by Thursday's deadline to receive a payment from the settlement. Those who received an email notice should use the Unique ID and PIN provided in the message.
The Google logo is displayed on a building at Google headquarters on February 04, 2026 in Mountain View, California. (Credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
The settlement website states that submitting a claim is the only way to receive money from the fund. By staying in the settlement and submitting a claim, class members give up their right to sue Google individually over the claims covered by the lawsuit.
Claims can be filed online or by mail, with mailed claims needing to be postmarked by Aug. 27.
Who may qualify?
A person may qualify for the settlement if they fall into one or both of these groups:
- They purchased a Google-made device in the U.S. or its territories between May 18, 2016, and March 19, 2026.
- They were a Google Assistant user or a member of a user's household between May 18, 2016, and March 19, 2026, and their communications were recorded or otherwise obtained by Google Assistant as a result of a "False Accept" or disclosed to a third-party review vendor.
How much could eligible users receive?
Dig deeper:
The $68 million settlement creates a fund from which eligible class members can be paid. The exact payment amount is not yet known.
Lawyers for plaintiffs may seek up to one-third of the settlement fund, or about $22.7 million, for legal fees.
That means consumers should not assume that every eligible claimant will receive an equal share of the $68 million.
The settlement is not yet final. A final approval hearing is scheduled for Oct. 1, 2026.
What is the Google Assistant privacy lawsuit?
The backstory:
The tech giant was accused of illegally recording and disseminating private conversations after Google Assistant was allegedly activated without users intentionally triggering it, with plaintiffs alleging the information could be used for targeted advertising.
EARLIER: Here’s how to get money from Google’s $135M Android settlement
The settlement covers users of Google Assistant-enabled devices, including certain Google-made smartphones and smart-home devices.
Google did not admit wrongdoing as part of the settlement. According to court documents, the company agreed to settle to avoid the uncertainty, expense, risk and distraction associated with continuing the litigation.
Google has faced other privacy cases
The Google Assistant case is part of a broader series of privacy disputes involving major technology companies.
In December 2024, Apple agreed to a $95 million settlement with users who accused its Siri voice assistant of recording private conversations without authorization.
Google has also reached settlements in other privacy-related cases. The company agreed to pay nearly $1.4 billion to Texas to resolve allegations that it improperly collected users' data.
In Sept. 2025, a federal jury also awarded $425.7 million in damages after finding Google liable for collecting data from users despite privacy settings. AP reported that the case involved approximately 98 million devices. Google denied wrongdoing and said it planned to appeal.
Google also agreed in 2024 to destroy billions of records of users' private browsing activity as part of a settlement over allegations that it tracked people who believed they were browsing privately, including while using Incognito mode.
The Source: The information for this story was provided by the Google Assistant Privacy Litigation claim website. This story was reported from Los Angeles. FOX Business also contributed.