Google has revealed that it blocked 2.36 million Android apps from being published on the Play Store in 2024 due to policy violations that posed potential security risks to users. This marks a continued effort to keep harmful apps, including malware and spyware, off Android’s official app marketplace.
In addition to rejecting apps, Google also banned 158,000 developer accounts that attempted to distribute malicious software. The company’s latest figures show an increase in blocked submissions compared to previous years, with 2.28 million apps rejected in 2023 and 1.5 million in 2022. Similarly, developer account bans dropped from 333,000 in 2023 to 173,000 in 2022.
One of the driving forces behind the increase in app removals is Google’s use of artificial intelligence to assist human reviewers. According to Google, AI-assisted reviews were involved in 92% of cases where apps were flagged for violations. This approach has allowed the company to identify and remove harmful apps more efficiently before they reach users.
“Today, over 92% of our human reviews for harmful apps are AI-assisted, allowing us to take quicker and more accurate action to help prevent harmful apps from becoming available on Google Play,” Google explained in its latest report. “That’s enabled us to stop more bad apps than ever from reaching users.”
Beyond blocking harmful apps, Google has also prevented 1.3 million apps from requesting excessive permissions, ensuring they do not gain unnecessary access to sensitive user data. These measures highlight Google’s ongoing commitment to strengthening security on the Play Store and protecting Android users from potential threats.
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