Apple App Store and Google Play Store delisted over 813,000 apps in Q1 2021

Pixalate, a California-based analytics platform has reported that Google and Apple removed more than 813,000 apps over the first quarter of 2021.

The firm said it analysed more than 5 million app across both digital storefronts and that 15% of that number were removed from the respective stores. On the Play Store, the apps had been downloaded more than 9 billion times before they were removed. On the App Store, it took 21 million consumer reviews before they were booted off the store.

About 86% of the apps that got shown the door on the Play Store were targeted at children up to 12 years old. 89% of the apps on Apple's Play Store were the same. 26% of these apps removed from the Play Store and 60% of the apps on the App Store had no privacy policies.

66% of the apps removed from the Play Store had at least one permission it required that could be considered dangerous. 27% of these had access to location data and 19% could use the camera. Some others were delisted because of policy breaches and voluntary withdrawals from the developer.