Google settles app store antitrust case for $1b

The news: Google parent Alphabet will pay USD700 million ($1.04 billion) and make changes to its Google Play app store to settle one of several antitrust lawsuits aimed at the tech giant, the Wall Street Journal reports.

A coalition of US states claimed Alphabet used Google Play as an illegal monopoly and held back competition from app distributors for devices on Google's Android mobile phone operating system.

The numbers: Alphabet will hand over USD630 million to a settlement fund benefitting consumers, and a further USD70 million into a fund to be used by the complainant states.

The context: Alphabet last week lost a case brought by Fortnite creator Epic Games, which had accused Google of squeezing extra profits from developers. Alphabet is challenging the decision. Alphabet is also facing a separate antitrust challenge related to its dominant Google search engine.