NEW YORK, January 26, 2026, 14:16 EST
- Google has settled for $68 million over allegations that its Assistant recorded private conversations following unintended activations
- The proposed class settlement, submitted to federal court in San Jose, California, awaits a judge’s approval.
- This case recalls past privacy battles over voice assistants, such as the one with Apple’s Siri
Google has agreed to pay $68 million to settle a lawsuit claiming its Google Assistant recorded and shared private conversations without consent, leading to targeted ads. The class-action settlement, filed Friday in federal court in San Jose, California, covers users affected by “false accepts”—instances when the assistant wrongly detects its wake word—dating back to May 18, 2016, according to court documents. (Reuters)
The deal comes amid the rise of voice assistants built into phones, earbuds, and home gadgets, shifting from a handy feature to a persistent privacy concern. Plaintiffs are pushing a straightforward argument: devices meant to catch commands can also eavesdrop unintentionally, and those recordings may end up farther afield than users realize.
The core issue revolves around how wake-word systems operate. Google Assistant should only activate after hearing trigger phrases like “Hey Google,” but users reported accidental activations that caused unwanted recordings. In some instances, these activations even triggered ads that appeared related to their recent conversations.
According to the filings, Google denied any wrongdoing but opted to settle to sidestep the expense and unpredictability of a lawsuit. The company declined to comment on Monday.
The proposed settlement requires Google to put $68 million into a fund to cover claims and related expenses. Consumers can file claims for up to three Google devices each, but the payout per person will vary based on the total number of valid claims submitted. For comparison, Apple users recently got between $8 and $40 per person from a different settlement involving Siri, CBS News reported. (CBS News)
The plan outlines a formula for dividing the payout: claimants receive “points,” and funds are distributed pro-rata—so each person’s share depends on their points, not a fixed sum. Points are partly calculated based on whether the claimant bought a Google device with Assistant or was an Assistant user whose recordings were shared with a third-party review vendor, Bloomberg Law reported. (Bloomberg Law)
This case lands squarely in the busy world of consumer tech assistants like Apple’s Siri and Amazon’s Alexa. They all rely on the same trick: constantly listening for a wake word, but not meant to capture your conversations. Companies market this boundary as a selling point. Lawsuits continue to challenge exactly where that line lies.
Class-action settlements aren’t official until a judge gives the green light, and payouts often shrink after fees and administrative costs are deducted. The bigger the group of claimants, the smaller each share gets. Courts can also require adjustments if they find the deal unfair or the notification process lacking.
For Google, the settlement shuts down one legal challenge over voice-activated recording without them admitting any guilt. For users, it serves as a stark reminder that “hands-free” doesn’t always mean risk-free — sometimes those unseen strings lurk in the background chatter.
