Google has taken a firm step in maintaining the security of the Android ecosystem by removing over 2.3 million harmful apps from the Google Play Store throughout 2024. These apps were found to be in violation of security policies and posed potential risks to users.

In its annual report, Google also revealed that it banned 158,000 developer accounts involved in spreading malware, spyware and various forms of policy abuse.

To strengthen app screening, Google used a combination of artificial intelligence (AI) and manual review. More than 92% of harmful app detections involved both human reviewers and AI, making the process faster and more accurate.

Additionally, over 1.3 million apps were denied excessive permission requests, such as access to location or contacts that weren’t relevant to the app’s primary function.

Beyond Play Store protection, Google also upgraded its Play Protect feature to detect malicious apps installed from outside sources (APK files). In 2024 alone, the system identified more than 13 million harmful APKs from external sources.

This real-time protection feature was initially tested in Singapore and has since been expanded to countries including India, Brazil, the Philippines, Thailand, and several others.

Google reaffirmed its commitment to user safety and advised Android users to only download apps from trusted developers and to regularly review the permissions requested by their apps.