What you need to know
- In 2019, Google settled a class-action lawsuit for the 2016 Pixel and Pixel XL over faulty microphones.
- As part of the settlement, it agreed to pay out $7.25 million to Pixel owners, with claimants being eligible for a check of up to $500.
- Recently, reports have begun popping up on the Google Pixel subreddit of users receiving their checks in the mail.
Back in 2016, Google released the first Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones to much acclaim. Unfortunately, due to a manufacturing defect, less than one percent of the phones encountered an issue with the microphone. According to Google, a "hairline crack in the solder connection on the audio codec" was to blame.
Google first admitted there was an issue back in March of 2017, and soon after, a class-action lawsuit was brought against the company. In 2019, Google settled the suit agreeing to payout $7.25 million to affected users. Owners of the original Pixel and Pixel XL had until October 7, 2019, to file a claim and could expect a check of up to $500 as part of the settlement.
Nearly four months after the deadline, checks have finally started to arrive. Reports have been popping up on the Google Pixel subreddit of users receiving their checks in the mail. If you were one of the users affected by this issue and submitted your claim before the deadline, you'll want to keep an eye out on your mailbox for a check over the next couple of weeks.
The Pixel class action lawsuit is only one of two that Google has settled recently. Last year, it also agreed to pay out a total of $9.75 million over hardware defects in the Nexus 6P smartphones. Many owners of the phone encountered issues with early shutdowns or the phone entering a bootloop. So far, no checks have arrived for claimants in the Nexus 6P lawsuit, but hopefully, they will be on the way soon.
