- Google says it blocked 1.75 million apps and 80,000 bad developer accounts by 2025
- Play Protect scanned 350 billion apps daily and reported 27 million. malicious apps outside the Play Store
- GenAI models boosted the app review process and found complex malicious patterns faster
Google has revealed that it rejected 1.75 million apps from the Play Store for violating its policies by 2025, as well as banning more than 80,000 “bad developer accounts” that tried to publish malicious apps and blocking 255,000 apps from accessing sensitive user data.
In its annual review of Android and Google Play security, the company said initiatives such as developer verification, mandatory pre-reviews and testing requirements “significantly reduced” the paths for bad actors to enter and have “raised the bar” for the Google Play ecosystem.
During 2025, Google Play ran more than 10,000 security checks on every app published, and these security checks continue even after apps are published.
Blocking spam ratings and reviews
In keeping with the trends, Google also said it integrated the latest Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) models into its review process, but kept humans on board, who can now spot complex malicious patterns faster.
“Our commitment to privacy-promoting app development, supported by tools like Play Policy Insights in Android Studio and the Data Security section, has empowered developers to continue to minimize privacy-sensitive permission requests and prioritize the user in their design choices,” Google said.
The company also worked to block spam ratings and reviews, and its anti-spam protection blocked 160 million spam ratings and reviews (including inflated and deflated reviews) last year. Average drops of 0.5 stars for apps targeted by review bombing were also prevented.
Finally, Google said that Play Protect, its built-in Android anti-malware solution, now scans more than 350 billion Android apps every day. By 2025, the tool identified more than 27 million new malicious apps outside the Google Play ecosystem and warned users about them.
Looking ahead, Google said it will continue to invest in AI-powered defenses and will roll out Android developer verifications to “hold bad actors accountable” and prevent them from hiding behind anonymity.
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