Google’s Play Store for mobile devices generated US$11.2 billion in revenue in 2019 — a figure the company previously had not disclosed publicly — court documents unsealed by a federal judge Saturday, August 28 revealed, Reuters reported.
The store also saw US$8.5 billion in gross profit and US$7 billion in operating income, an operating margin of over 62%, according to the report.
The information was contained in previously redacted portions of a civil suit filed by the state of Utah and three dozen additional states in July, the report stated. Google unsuccessful had sought to keep the information private.
The suit alleges Google violated antitrust laws by zealously restricting access to its Play Store and, by extension, the marketplace for users of smartphones running Google’s Android operating system.
The attorneys general who are the plaintiffs in the suit describe the Play Store’s operating margin in the complaint as “enormous,” according to the filing.
US District Court Judge James Donato also ordered unredacted the entirety of a paragraph that stated: “Google’s tie is not necessary for it to reap significant profits from the Google Play Store and the Android ecosystem, nor for it to continue to invest in the quality of these products. Google’s core business model for Android is to collect detailed personal data from Android users and monetize that data through targeted advertising.”
The complaint alleged that search-related revenue totaled 78% of Android Search and Play Store revenue.
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