Google reaches settlements in 2 lawsuits. What to know

Google agreed to two settlements within the span of a week that would see the tech giant pay out over $200 million.

Smartphone users accused Google of programming its Android operating system to collect their cellular data without permission in one class action lawsuit, while others claimed that its voice-activated assistant spied inappropriately on them in a separate class action lawsuit.

Both lawsuits were filed in federal court in the Northern District of California and require a judge's approval before moving forward.

Google denied wrongdoing in both settlements.

"We are pleased to resolve this case, which mischaracterized standard industry practices that keep Android safe," José Castañeda, Google spokesperson, said of the Android case in an email to USA TODAY. He did not comment on the Google Assistant case.

Here's what to know about Google's settlements.

Android data settlement

Android users alleged that Google needlessly collected cellular data, which they purchased from mobile carriers, even when they closed Google's apps, disabled location-sharing or locked their screens.

They said the data supported Google's product development and targeted advertising campaigns and amounted to "conversion," when a party wrongfully takes another party's property with the intent to assert control.

Glen Summers, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, said in a court filing that he believed the $135 million payout is the largest ever in a conversion case. Payments are capped at $100 per class member.

The proposed settlement was filed in court on Jan. 27.

Google Assistant settlement

In their lawsuit, Google Assistant users accused the company of illegally recording and disseminating private conversations after Google Assistant was triggered, in order to send them targeted advertising.

Google Assistant is designed to react when people use "hot words" such as "Hey Google" or "Okay Google," similar to Apple's Siri.

Users objected to receiving ads after Google Assistant misperceived what they said as hot words, known as "false accepts."

The settlement, filed Jan. 23, covers people who bought Google devices or were subjected to "false accepts" since May 18, 2016, according to court documents. Google agreed to pay $68 million to settle the case

Contributing: Reuters