Google Blocks 2.36 Million Risky Android Apps from Play Store in 2024

Google blocked 2.36 million Android app submissions to the Play Store in 2024 due to violations of its policies that made them potentially risky for users. In addition, 158,000 developer accounts were banned for attempting to publish harmful apps like malware and spyware on Android’s official app store. In comparison, Google blocked 2,280,000 risky apps in 2023 and 1,500,000 apps in 2022, while the figures for blocked Play developer accounts were 333,000 and 173,000, respectively. The increasing trend highlights the persistent threat posed by malicious actors and the need for continuous improvements in security measures.

The larger number of blocked apps in 2024 is partly attributed to AI assisting human reviews, which was used in 92% of the violating cases. Artificial intelligence has played a crucial role in enhancing the efficiency and accuracy of the app review process, identifying potentially harmful software before it reaches 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,”…