Manual Thomas
Published on: February 7, 2025 Writer

Google intensified its efforts to combat malicious apps in 2024, blocking 2.3 million policy-violating submissions from appearing on the Play Store — an increase from previous years. The tech giant also banned 158,000 developer accounts found to be distributing harmful software, such as spyware and malware.

The company credited its AI-driven screening tools for enabling these large-scale removals. “Today, over 92 percent 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 stated.

Beyond app removals, Google proactively prevented 1.3 million apps from requesting unnecessary permissions that could compromise sensitive user data. Google Play Protect, the company’s security system that scans approximately 200 billion apps daily, also flagged 13 million malware apps originating from sources outside the Play Store.

“That’s enabled us to stop more bad apps than ever from reaching users through the Play Store, protecting users from harmful or malicious apps before they can cause any damage,” Google said.

In addition to software monitoring, Google expanded its untrusted APK blocking system to countries including Brazil, India, and South Africa. The system prevented 36 million installation attempts across 200,000 unique apps on 10 million devices in 2024 alone.

Despite these advancements, Google acknowledges that cybercriminals are continuously refining their methods to evade detection. Users are advised to keep their devices updated, enable Play Protect, and review permissions regularly to enhance security.

By integrating AI-powered defenses with user vigilance, Google’s latest security measures mark a significant step in fortifying the Android ecosystem against evolving threats.