NIX Solutions: Google Blocked 2.3M Malicious Apps in 2024

In 2024, Google removed over 2.3 million Android apps from the Google Play Store for violating platform policies. These apps were deemed potentially harmful to users. Additionally, Google blocked 158,000 developer accounts linked to malicious activities, including spyware distribution.

This marks a rise compared to previous years—2.28 million apps were blocked in 2023 and 1.5 million in 2022. The company also banned 333,000 developers in 2023 and 173,000 in 2022. The increase in blocked apps in 2024 is partly due to the company’s AI-driven detection system, which helps identify malware more efficiently.

“Today, more than 92% of our human reviews of malicious apps are conducted using AI, allowing us to take faster and more accurate action to prevent malicious apps from getting onto Google Play. This has enabled us to block more malicious apps from accessing Google Play than ever before,” Google stated.

NIX Solutions

Strengthened Security Measures

Google also prevented 1.3 times more apps from gaining excessive permissions that could have given them unnecessary access to sensitive user data.

A major update in 2024 enhanced Android’s built-in security system, Google Play Protect, improving its real-time protection for apps installed both from and outside Google Play. According to Google, Android’s default protection scanned over 200 billion apps daily, performing real-time code-level analysis. Throughout the year, this system detected over 13 million new malicious apps outside of Google Play.

To help developers safeguard their apps, Google introduced new tools to counter malicious SDKs and abuse. The Google Play SDK index expanded to include 80 new trusted SDKs. Additionally, wider adoption of the Play Integrity API resulted in an 80% decrease in violations from untrusted sources. Currently, 91% of app installs benefit from the security and privacy protections available in Android 13 and later versions.

Expansion of Security Initiatives

Google’s APK installation blocking system, initially piloted in Singapore in February 2024, has now been expanded to Brazil, Hong Kong, India, Kenya, Nigeria, the Philippines, South Africa, Thailand, and Vietnam, adds NIX Solutions. In 2024 alone, this system prevented 36 million installation attempts of 200,000 unique apps on 10 million Android devices.

With continuous improvements in AI-driven detection and security features, Google remains focused on strengthening Android’s defenses against malicious software. We’ll keep you updated as further developments unfold.