Google has announced that with the help of AI, it blocked 1.75 million apps that violated its policies in 2025, significantly down from 2.36 million in 2024. The lower numbers this year are because its “AI-powered, multi-layered security” is also preventing bad actors from trying to publish bad apps, she said.
Google said it now conducts more than 10,000 security checks on every app and keeps rechecking them after they are published. It says the use of the latest generative AI models helps human reviewers spot malicious patterns more quickly. The company also blocked 160 million spam ratings, preventing an average 0.5-star rating drop for apps targeted by review bombing. Ultimately, Google blocked 255,000 apps in 2025 from gaining excessive access to sensitive user data, down from 1.3 million a year earlier.
Meanwhile, the company’s Android defense system, Google Play Protect, sniffed out more than 27 million new malicious apps, either warning users or preventing them from running. The company said Play Protect’s enhanced fraud protection now covers 2.8 billion Android devices in 185 markets and blocks 266 million risky “side-loading” installation attempts.
“Initiatives like developer verification, mandatory pre-review checks, and testing requirements have raised the bar for the Google Play ecosystem, significantly reducing entry paths for bad actors,” the company said in its blog. “This year, we will continue to invest in AI-powered security to stay ahead of emerging threats and equip Android developers with the tools they need to build apps securely.”
Google has justified its relatively high fees on app purchases and subscriptions by promoting its investments in app security. However, its Play Store is under pressure from regulators in Europe and other regions, who claim it is a monopoly. Last year, the company changed its fee structure for developers using alternative payment channels, but EU regulators recently claimed that the company was still not complying with Digital Markets Act regulations.
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