Google blocked more than 2 million apps from the Play Store: Key details

Google Play Store

Google ramped up its efforts to secure the Google Play Store, blocking over 2.28 million apps from being published in 2023 due to policy violations. This is a significant increase from the 1.43 million apps, that were rejected in 2022. Google has also implemented different measures to control unknown background activities of such apps.

Additionally, the tech giant reports that it identified and blocked 333,000 Google Play accounts that uploaded malware, fraudulent apps, or engaged in repeated grave policy violations.

Steve Kafka and Khawaja Shams of the Android Security and Privacy Team alongside Mohet Saxena of Play Trust and Safety said, "In 2023, we prevented 2.28 million policy-violating apps from being published on Google Play in part thanks to our investment in new and improved security features, policy updates, and advanced machine learning and app review processes."

Additionally, Google has rejected more than 200,000 app submissions, to ensure proper use of sensitive permissions such as background location or SMS access, in 2023. The company also said that it worked with providers of software development kit (SDK), to limit sensitive data access and sharing and strengthen privacy.

The search giant also added that it has made Google Play Protect’s security capabilities even more powerful with real-time scanning to safeguard users. Apart from these measures, Google said it has updated its Play policies around Generative AI apps, disruptive notifications, and expanded privacy protections.

Further, Google plans to strengthen its Play Store policies even more in the coming years. Additionally, Android users should review background data consumption to identify suspicious processes and check all the permissions being assigned to installed apps.

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