Google has revealed that it prevented 2.36 million Android applications from being launched on the Play Store in 2024 due to breaches of policies that could pose security risks to users. This initiative is part of the tech giant’s continuous effort to exclude harmful apps, such as malware and spyware, from its official Android app store.
Beyond blocking these applications, Google also suspended 158,000 developer accounts that aimed to disseminate malicious software. Current data shows an increase in app rejections compared to previous years, with 2.28 million apps blocked in 2023 and 1.5 million in 2022. Conversely, the number of developer account suspensions decreased from 333,000 in 2023 to 173,000 in 2022.
A significant reason for the rise in app removals can be attributed to Google’s use of artificial intelligence to assist human reviewers. The company reports that AI-driven assessments were involved in 92% of cases where apps were flagged for policy violations. This approach has enhanced Google’s ability to promptly identify and remove harmful applications 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 stated in a recent report. “That’s enabled us to stop more bad apps than ever from reaching users.”
In addition to blocking harmful applications, Google has also prevented 1.3 million apps from asking for excessive permissions, ensuring that these apps do not gain unnecessary access to sensitive user information. These measures highlight Google’s commitment to improving security on the Play Store and protecting Android users from potential threats.
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