How to get a slice of the $60M Flo, Google settlement

If you’ve used the Flo fertility tracking app prior to 2020, you may be able to secure settlement money in a class action lawsuit. Here’s how to get paid.

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To qualify for a payment, you must have downloaded and used the Flo app between Nov. 1, 2016, and Feb. 28, 2019. The sign-up for a slice of the nearly $60 million settlement is open until Oct. 15. 

It’s unclear how much the individual payments will be. That will depend on how many people sign up for a share of the pie. A preliminary settlement agreement  notes that California claimants will get double the payment compared with residents of other states. The final settlement is still subject to approval at a hearing scheduled for Oct. 29. 

Users of the Flo app filed against Flo, Google and Meta in September 2021 over allegations that Flo was selling its private health data to the tech giants, despite promising users it wouldn’t. Earlier that year, the Federal Trade Commission agreed to a settlement with the company over similar allegations, requiring Flo to notify users and ask for consent to share data. 

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Both settlements follow a 2019 Wall Street Journal investigation that revealed how popular apps were funneling user data to Facebook without consent. The plaintiffs in the 2021 suit alleged that the data was being used to send them targeted ads for products related to their menstrual cycle or pregnancies. The also alleged that this scheme was particularly disturbing for people who received certain ads despite not planning for pregnancy or even knowing they were pregnant at all. 

While Google and Flo chose to opt for a settlement, Meta decided to take its claims to court, where it was handed a resounding loss by a California jury last year. Damages from that lawsuit have not been determined, as Meta appealed the decision, though a judge signaled last year that the payout could be up to $8 billion if the verdict holds. Signing up for a payment from the Google settlement does not disqualify you from getting a check in the Meta verdict if that decision is upheld.