Federal Cellular Class Action: The $135 Million Google Android Settlement
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“Federal Cellular Class Action” is not a phone company and not a federal government lawsuit. It is the name the court-appointed administrator uses for Taylor v. Google LLC, a $135 million settlement over Android phones using cellular data to send information to Google. The court gave final approval on August 21, 2026. Appeals were filed in September 2026, and nobody gets paid until they are resolved. There is no claim form, and every deadline has passed.
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Reviewed by Leonard Goldberg, Editor · Last updated
What the Federal Cellular Class Action Lawsuit Says
The federal cellular class action lawsuit alleges that Google's Android operating system made phones send a variety of information to Google without users' permission, using up cellular data that users paid their carriers for. According to the plaintiffs, some of these transfers ran in the background, even when the phone was idle with all apps closed.
Google denies wrongdoing. The case was filed on November 12, 2020. A trial judge dismissed it early on; the Ninth Circuit revived the conversion claim, and the case then went through fact and expert discovery before settling.
The settlement also has a non-cash part: Google must change the Google Play Terms of Service to say that system services “may use your cellular data,” and take technically feasible steps to gray out the misleading Google Play services background-data toggle.
Case Details
The case is Taylor v. Google LLC, No. 5:20-cv-07956-VKD, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, San Jose Division, before Magistrate Judge Virginia K. DeMarchi. California residents were covered by a separate state case, Csupo v. Google LLC, Santa Clara County Superior Court No. 19CV352557, so they are excluded here.
Why the name confuses people: the official site is called Federal Cellular Class Action, and the class covers Android users in the United States outside the California Csupo class. The federal cellular class action settlement administrator is Angeion Group, which wrote to class members from that name. Searches for “Navy Federal Credit Union lawsuit” or “Navy Federal Credit Union settlement” are a different matter entirely: Edey v. Navy Federal Credit Union, No. 2:25-cv-554 (E.D. Va.), over unauthorized personal loans. That one is open: opt-outs and objections must be postmarked by November 9, 2026, and the $250 claim form by November 29, 2026. See our Navy Federal lawsuit page and our report on the loan settlement.
Status: Approved, Then Appealed
Objectors filed notices of appeal to the Ninth Circuit on September 16 and 21, 2026 (Ninth Circuit Nos. 26-6253 and 26-6329). Under the official notice, payments are made only after final approval and after any appeals are resolved. Plaintiffs have moved for an appeal bond on the appeal of Nathan Byars; that motion is set for hearing on November 10, 2026.
Fifty people objected before the hearing. The court overruled the objections.
Who Is in the Class
You are a class member if you are a person in the United States who used an Android phone or other Android mobile device with a cellular data plan at any time from November 12, 2017 through final approval, and you are not part of the California Csupo class. The court counted 129,974,148 class members, well above the original estimate of 100 million.
You did not need to file anything. Notice went out mainly by email. Unless you excluded yourself by May 29, 2026, you are in the class. Selecting a payment method was optional; if you skipped it, the administrator will still try to pay you automatically, though the notice warns that this may fail. If you are unsure whether you are included, check with the administrator at FederalCellularClassAction.com or 1-844-655-4255.
How Much Each Person Gets
The $100 cap in the settlement exists on paper only; class counsel did not expect it to be reached. Payments go out electronically (Zelle, PayPal/Venmo or a virtual Mastercard) and only after the appeals end. None of the leftover money goes back to Google. Our payout calculator shows why a huge class shrinks each share, and our Google Android data settlement page covers the deal in more depth.
How cases like this one end
Our copy of the federal courts’ own case database covers 15,171 other personal property damage casesclosed in U.S. federal district courts between 2015 and 2025, 10.4% of them filed as class actions:
- 33.2% ended in a settlement recorded by the court. Another 19.2% were dismissed voluntarily, which often follows a private settlement — so the real settlement share sits between 33.2% and 52.3%.
- 5.9% were decided on a motion before any trial.
- 1 in 90 reached a trial (1.1%), after a median of 27.4 months.
- Median time from filing to the end of the case: 8.5 months.
- Only 236 of them (1.6%) record a money award at all; the median of those is $496,000.
These are base rates for this type of case (federal other personal property damage cases) — not a prediction about this lawsuit, and not legal advice. Source: Federal Judicial Center, Integrated Database (civil), analysed by Settlement Insight. Cases heard in state courts are not included.
Federal Cellular Class Action Timeline
- 1
November 12, 2020 — Lawsuit Filed
Taylor v. Google is filed in the Northern District of California on behalf of Android users outside California.
- 2
Spring 2026 — Notice Goes Out
Angeion emails class members as Federal Cellular Class Action. The media campaign ends April 20, 2026.
- 3
May 29, 2026 — Opt-Out and Objection Deadline
The last day to exclude yourself or object. Fifty people objected by the time of the hearing.
- 4
August 21, 2026 — Final Approval
Judge DeMarchi approves the $135 million settlement, enters judgment and awards $28,567,515.70 in attorneys' fees.
- 5
September 16–21, 2026 — Appeals Filed
Objectors appeal to the Ninth Circuit (Nos. 26-6253 and 26-6329). Payments wait until the appeals are resolved.
- 6
As of October 2026 — Waiting on Appeals
Plaintiffs are seeking an appeal bond on one of the appeals; that motion is set for hearing on November 10, 2026. No payments have been issued.
Three Things to Watch For
A class of 129,974,148 people, a notice sent by email and a name that sounds official make an easy target for imposters:
Texts saying “your Federal Cellular payment is ready”
Payments cannot go out while the appeals are pending. A text or email saying money is waiting for you now, with a link that is not FederalCellularClassAction.com, is phishing. Type the address in yourself.
Fees to “release” or speed up your payment
The expected payout is under two dollars, and nothing can speed up an appeal. Anyone asking for a processing fee, gift card or bank login to get your share faster is not the administrator.
Callers mixing it up with Navy Federal
The Navy Federal loan case is about scammers who impersonated Navy Federal staff. A caller who connects a “federal” settlement to your Navy Federal account and asks for codes or a transfer is running the same scam again.
Federal Cellular Class Action — Questions People Actually Ask
Is the Federal Cellular Class Action email real?
The settlement and the administrator are real. Federal Cellular Class Action is the name Angeion uses for Taylor v. Google LLC, No. 5:20-cv-07956-VKD (N.D. Cal.). Any specific message is only as real as its links: the official site is FederalCellularClassAction.com, and the notice never asks for a fee.
Is this a federal government lawsuit?
No. It is a private class action against Google heard in federal court. The government is not a party, and “federal” refers to the court, as distinct from the parallel California state case.
Do I need to file a claim?
No. There was never a claim form. Class members are paid automatically; choosing a payment method was optional. The opt-out and objection deadline was May 29, 2026, and it has passed.
When will I get paid?
Not until the appeals are resolved. Final approval came on August 21, 2026, and appeals followed in September 2026. Appeals in the Ninth Circuit commonly take a year or more, so no payment date can be given.
How much will I get?
Before the fee ruling, the administrator estimated $0.64 per person in the first round, possibly $1.06 or more if a second round makes sense. The $100 per-person cap is not expected to come into play with 129,974,148 class members.
I live in California. Am I included?
Generally no. California residents belong to Csupo v. Google LLC in Santa Clara County Superior Court (No. 19CV352557), and members of that class are excluded from the federal one.
Is this the Navy Federal Credit Union settlement?
No. The Navy Federal Credit Union settlement is Edey v. Navy Federal Credit Union (E.D. Va.), covering certain unauthorized personal loans made between January 1, 2023 and January 31, 2025. Its $250 claim form is due by November 29, 2026. Details are on our Navy Federal lawsuit page.
Who is the federal cellular class action settlement administrator?
Angeion Group, writing as Federal Cellular Class Action, c/o Settlement Administrator, Philadelphia. Contact: Info@FederalCellularClassAction.com or 1-844-655-4255. Use those details rather than any number in a text message.
Separate from this case: were you injured in the last 2 years?
Class-action payouts are fixed amounts through an administrator. A personal injury claim is a different case — and often worth far more. Free estimate, no obligation.
Related Consumer Brand Lawsuits
Google Android Data Settlement
The $135 million Taylor v. Google deal in detail
Navy Federal Lawsuit
Unauthorized-loan settlement, $250 claim due November 29, 2026
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