Get paid for your defective Google microphones.
Enlarge / Get paid for your defective Google microphones.

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Back in May, Google settled the defective Pixel 1 lawsuit brought against it in 2018 for $7.25 million, and now owners can file a claim at a new Pixel Settlement website. Owners of a first-generation Pixel could get up to $500 if they bought multiple defective devices, and everyone that bought an original Pixel before the cut-off date is entitled to $20, even if they didn’t experience a defect.

Further Reading

Google isn’t honoring Pixel’s warranty, so we’re suing, customers say

Some of the first-generation Pixel phones went out the door with defective microphones, and a class action lawsuit alleged that Google couldn’t or wouldn’t fix the problem. Google denies these allegations, but the company still agreed to pay out $7.25 million. According to the settlement site, Pixel 1 owners are eligible for a payout if they live in the United States and bought “a new Pixel or Pixel XL smartphone manufactured before January 4, 2017 and did not receive a replacement Pixel manufactured after January 3, 2017 or refurbished after June 5, 2017.”

The site details four payment tiers that customers can land in:

First, money will be set aside to pay up to $20 to each person who did not experience the alleged audio defect or who cannot provide any documentation to show that they experienced it. Second, people who paid an insurance deductible to receive a replacement Pixel will be refunded the amount of the deductible. Third, people who experienced the alleged audio defect on more than one Pixel will be paid $500 each. Fourth, people who experienced the alleged audio defect on one Pixel will be paid $350 each, unless there is not enough money left to make those payments, in which case the rest of the fund will be distributed to them on a pro rata basis.

Interested claimants should read through the settlement site’s full FAQ for all the details, but claims can be filed through the website, where you put in your name, address, email, IMEI number, and payment information. If you’re claiming a defective device, you’ll need to provide proof with “documentation such as emails, customer service chat logs, repair records, insurance claims, Return Merchandise Authorization (‘RMA’) confirmations, or other credible evidence of failure.”

The deadline to submit a claim is October 7, 2019. Once everything is filed, there will be a hearing December 6 where the court will decide whether to approve the settlement. If approved, payments should be sent out around three months later.