If you own an original Google Pixel phone, here’s some good news for you.
Google agreed to pay the owners of faulty Pixel phones, following a class action lawsuit brought by owners of the devices.
The plaintiffs said the company sold handsets with defective microphones knowingly, and sought legal redress over the matter, which is now pending the court’s approval.
In the meantime, Google could pay certain owners of the faulty phones up to $500. This translates to a total of $7.25 million in settlements.
The devices covered by the lawsuit are the Pixel and Pixel XL, both of which were manufactured before 4 January, 2017.
Some phones had defective microphones, and Google admitted to the presence of a “hairline crack in the solder connection on the audio code”, back in March 2017. The tech giant said that less than one percent of the Pixel phones had this problem, which resulted in issues with voice assistant functionality, and calling.
Similarly, Google said it would remedy the issue by taking extra steps to “reinforce the connection”. However, the livid Pixel owners hit the company, less than a year later, with the lawsuit, noting that the company knowingly continued to sell faulty phones.
If you’re a Pixel phone owner and you didn’t experience the problem, you still stand a chance of getting up to $20 from the settlement.
How Google will Compensate Pixel Phone Owners
There are four categories in which the owners of the 2016 Pixel and Pixel XL phones will be compensated.
Owners will be grouped based on the level of compensation they’re entitled to as follows:
- Pixel owners who returned their phones with defective microphones, only to get other defective devices from the manufacturer get the highest payout of up to $500 in settlement
- Owners with single defective devices are eligible to compensation of up to $350
- Those who got third-party insurance payments for the audio fault would be compensated on individual basis
In the original complaint, the main issue customers noted was “severe microphone issues.” They complained that Google should refund or replace devices instead of fixing defective phones.
“Google has replaced defective phones with other defective phones, resulting in many consumers repeatedly experiencing the microphone defect,” the complaint said.
How to Receive the Compensation Payout
In order to be part of the group of Pixel phone owners to get compensation for faulty phones, you need to have the following:
- Make sure your Pixel or Pixel XL phone was manufactured before 4 January, 2017
- Give proof of purchase
- Join the settlement by 9 July, 2019
- Have been contacted by the Settlement Administration directly, about the lawsuit
Once the settlement terms are approved, the law firm representing the plaintiffs will notify them how to sign up for payouts.
Elsier is an avid tech writer, who loves mobile apps, games, music, and cars. When she’s not catching up on the latest in tech, she’s binging on reruns of her favorite series.
