Google blockedĀ 2.3 million Android app submissions to the Play Retailer in 2024 as a consequence of violations of its insurance policies that made them probably dangerous for customers.
As well as, 158,000 developer accounts had been banned for making an attempt to publish dangerous apps like malware and adware on Android’s official app retailer.
As compared, Google blocked 2,280,000 dangerous apps in 2023 and 1,500,000 apps in 2022, whereas the figures for blocked Play developer accounts had been 333,000 and 173,000, respectively.
The bigger variety of blocked apps in 2024 is partly attributed to AI aiding human opinions, which was utilized in 92% of the violating circumstances.
“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,” defined Google.
“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.”
Other than rejections and blocks, Google studies that it has additionally prevented 1.3 million apps from getting extreme permissions that may have granted them pointless entry to delicate consumer information.
Google Play Defend, Android’s built-in safety system, obtained vital upgrades in 2024 to boost real-time safety in opposition to malicious apps, scams, and fraud, even for apps put in exterior the Play Retailer.
The tech big says Android’s default safety suite scanned over 200 billion apps day by day, performing reside code-level evaluation. Throughout 2024, these scans recognized over 13 million new malware apps sourced from exterior Google Play.
App builders had been additionally given new instruments to higher safe their apps from malicious SDKs and abuse, with the Google Play SDK index increasing tremendously final 12 months so as to add one other 80 trusted SDKs.
Furthermore, elevated adoption of the Play Integrity API noticed an 80% discount in abuse from untrusted sources. As compared, 91% of app installs now use safety and privateness safety options obtainable in Android 13 and later.
Supply: Google
Google’s untrusted APK set up blocking system, first launched as a pilot in Singapore in February 2024, has now been expanded to Brazil, Hong Kong, India, Kenya, Nigeria, the Philippines, South Africa, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Its 2024 success is mirrored in stopping 36 million set up makes an attempt of 200,000 distinctive apps from nesting in 10 million Android gadgets.
As Google strengthens Android protections yearly, gaps in safety stay, and cybercriminals make use of new, extra superior strategies to bypass automated scanners.
Customers should stay vigilant, solely belief respected publishers, maintain the variety of put in apps on the minimal crucial, scrutinize and revoke dangerous app permissions, and guarantee Play Defend is working always.
