Google Plus Settlement: Closed, Paid Out in 2021 — Nothing to Claim Now
Settled — Claims Period Closed
Claim deadline was October 8, 2020 · as of Oct 15, 2026
The email titled “Notice of Class Action Settlement re Google Plus” was real — in August 2020. It concerned a $7.5 million settlement over software bugs in the now-defunct Google+ social network. Claims closed October 8, 2020, the court granted final approval on January 25, 2021, and 1,720,029 claimants were paid $2.15 each starting August 2, 2021. As of October 2026 there is no open claim form, no deadline and no further payment.
Questions about this case?
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Can I Still File?
The claim deadline, what the settlement pays and where to file — plus other settlements still taking claims.
No. The claim deadline was October 8, 2020.
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We are not a claims administrator and not affiliated with any settlement. File only at the official settlement website — filing is always free.
What the Google Plus Lawsuit Was About
Google+ was Google's social network. According to Google's own disclosures in October and December 2018, software bugs could have let third-party apps see profile fields that users had not made public — names, email addresses, genders, ages, occupations and places lived. The first bug sat in the Google+ People API.
Google fixed that leak in March 2018 but did not publicize it until a Wall Street Journal report in October 2018. Google said the bugs affected up to 500,000 users since 2015 and that it found no evidence the data was accessed or misused. The lawsuit alleged that users were harmed by the exposure and the silence; Google settled. Google took the platform offline in April 2019.
Case details
The users' case is In re Google Plus Profile Litigation, No. 5:18-cv-06164, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California (San Jose), before Judge Edward J. Davila. It started as Matic v. Google, filed October 8, 2018; the Matic and Olson cases were consolidated under the current caption on January 9, 2019. Preliminary approval came on June 10, 2020 and final approval on January 25, 2021.
A separate case was brought by investors, not users: In re Alphabet, Inc. Securities Litigation, No. 3:18-cv-06245, in the same court before Judge Trina L. Thompson. It produced a much larger settlement — but only for people who bought Alphabet stock.
Status: Settled, Paid, Closed
As of October 2026 nothing about this settlement is open: no claim form, no late filing, no second distribution. Under the settlement agreement, any leftover money was to go to a cy pres recipient, not back to Google. The official settlement website no longer loads. If you received a Google settlement email in 2026, it is about a different case — most likely the Google Assistant settlement (see below).
Who Was in the Class
The class was everyone in the United States who had a consumer Google+ account at any time between January 1, 2015 and April 2, 2019 and whose non-public profile information was exposed by the bugs Google announced. Google itself emailed the notice from google-noreply@google.com in August 2020, and Google confirmed it was genuine.
Being in the class no longer helps: only people who filed by October 8, 2020 were paid. If you filed then and never saw $2.15 arrive, the payment would have gone to the bank account or PayPal address you gave on the claim form in August 2021.
Alphabet shareholders are a different group. The $350 million investor settlement covers people who bought Alphabet stock between April 23, 2018 and April 30, 2019. Google+ users who never traded the stock were not part of it.
What the Google Plus Settlement Paid
The shareholder case is the opposite picture: Alphabet agreed to pay $350 million, and on September 30, 2024 Judge Thompson granted final approval and awarded class counsel $66,500,000 (19% of the fund). That money is for investors only. We could not confirm from a primary source whether or when that fund was distributed.
The Google+ case is a useful benchmark for the google plus data breach settlement question people ask today: a breach with no proven misuse and a huge, free-to-join class paid a few dollars per person.
How cases like this one end
Our copy of the federal courts’ own case database covers 118,291 other personal injury casesclosed in U.S. federal district courts between 2015 and 2026, 3.9% of them filed as class actions:
- 39.6% ended in a settlement recorded by the court. Another 14% were dismissed voluntarily, which often follows a private settlement — so the real settlement share sits between 39.6% and 53.6%.
- 5.7% were decided on a motion before any trial.
- 1 in 109 reached a trial (0.9%), after a median of 23.9 months.
- Median time from filing to the end of the case: 9 months.
- Only 802 of them (0.7%) record a money award at all; the median of those is $537,500.
These are base rates for this type of case (federal other personal injury 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.
Google Plus Settlement Timeline
March 2018 — Bug Fixed Quietly
Google closes the leak in the Google+ People API but does not announce it. It later says up to 500,000 users were affected since 2015.
October 8, 2018 — Report and First Lawsuit
After a Wall Street Journal report, Matic v. Google is filed in San Jose. A shareholder suit follows on October 11, 2018.
June 10, 2020 — Preliminary Approval
Judge Edward J. Davila preliminarily approves the $7.5 million settlement. In August 2020 Google emails the “Notice of Class Action Settlement re Google Plus.”
October 8, 2020 — Claim Deadline
The last day to file a claim. Anyone who did not file by then received nothing.
January 25, 2021 — Final Approval
The court grants final approval. A settlement with an objector follows in May 2021.
August 2, 2021 — $2.15 Payments Sent
Electronic payments of $2.15 go to 1,720,029 claimants, to be completed by August 14, 2021. The case is closed.
Three Things to Watch For
An old, real settlement that still circulates online is easy to recycle:
“Unclaimed Google Plus settlement funds”
There are none for class members. Under the settlement agreement, any leftover money was to go to a cy pres recipient, not back to Google, and no late claims are accepted. A message offering to release your Google+ share for a fee or your bank details is not from the settlement.
Recycled copies of the 2020 notice
The genuine email came from google-noreply@google.com in August 2020 and pointed to GooglePlusDataLitigation.com. A copy arriving now, or one pointing to a different website, is either stale or fake — that site no longer runs.
Shareholder claim pitches to ordinary users
The $350 million figure belongs to Alphabet investors who bought stock between April 23, 2018 and April 30, 2019. Anyone telling a Google+ user they can claim from it because they had an account is wrong.
Google Plus Settlement — Questions People Actually Ask
Short answers to the questions people ask most about this case.
Was the class action settlement re Google Plus email real?
Yes. The email “Notice of Class Action Settlement re Google Plus – Your Rights May Be Affected” was sent by Google in August 2020 and Google confirmed it. It described a real $7.5 million settlement. Its deadline, October 8, 2020, passed long ago.
Can I still file a Google Plus claim?
No. The claim deadline was October 8, 2020, final approval came January 25, 2021, and payments went out in August 2021. As of October 2026 there is no claim form, no deadline and no further payment.
How much did the Google Plus settlement pay?
$2.15 per valid claim. The settlement promised $5, up to $12, but 1,720,029 people filed, so the payment was reduced pro rata. It was sent by ACH or PayPal starting August 2, 2021.
Is there a Google Plus data breach settlement for shareholders?
Yes, separately. Alphabet agreed to pay $350 million to investors who bought its stock between April 23, 2018 and April 30, 2019, alleging Google hid the Google+ bug. Judge Trina L. Thompson granted final approval on September 30, 2024. It does not cover users who never held the stock.
Is Google having a class action lawsuit right now?
Several, none about Google+. The $68 million Google Assistant settlement closed claims on August 27, 2026; at the October 1, 2026 hearing the judge said it will get final approval, according to MLex, and nobody has been paid. See our report on the Assistant claims and our overview of every current Google case.
Can you just join a class action lawsuit?
You do not sign up to join one. If you fit a class definition, you are included automatically, and to get money from a settlement you file a claim by its deadline on the official website. For Google+, that window closed on October 8, 2020.
How do I get money from the Google Play lawsuit?
That is a different case with nothing to do with Google+. Its final approval was granted on August 18, 2026; see our Google Play settlement page for whether payments have started, and our Android data-transfer page for the $135 million cellular-data deal.
I got a Google settlement email in 2026. Is it about Google Plus?
Almost certainly not. The Google Assistant administrator has been emailing Unique ID and PIN codes since spring 2026, and its claim deadline passed August 27, 2026. Check the case name and website in the email, and never pay a fee to receive a settlement payment.
About This Information
- Editorially Reviewed — Content reviewed for accuracy using published legal research, government data, and verified court records. See our methodology. Reviewed by Leonard Goldberg, Editor · Last updated
- $236 billion in real payouts analyzed · See what we found
This page is for general information only and is not legal advice. Lawsuit status, eligibility, and compensation can change. Settlement Insight is not a law firm and does not represent any party. Consult a licensed attorney about your specific situation.
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