Google deletes 1.6 million apps from Play Store in 2024 to make it safer and easier to use

If you’ve been browsing the Google Play Store lately and felt like there aren’t as many apps as before, you’re right. Google has quietly done a major clean-up—and it’s a big one. Nearly half of the apps that were available earlier this year are no longer there.

In numbers, that means the Play Store has gone from around 3.4 million apps down to 1.8 million. That’s a 47% drop since the beginning of 2024, according to Appfigures. But don’t panic—this isn’t about Android slowing down or running out of developers.

It’s actually part of a serious effort by Google to improve what’s on offer. The company has been cracking down on apps that don’t meet quality standards, don’t work properly, or might pose a security risk. It’s also made life tougher for developers who aren’t playing by the rules.

Google has introduced stricter checks for developers, added more steps for verification, and used both human reviewers and AI to scan apps more thoroughly. In fact, just in 2024, over 2.3 million apps were blocked and more than 158,000 developer accounts were banned.