Google Blocked 2.3 Million Apps from Play Store in 2023
In 2023, Google reported that it blocked 2.28 million apps from being published on the Google Play Store due to various policy violations that could have threatened user security. The company also identified and blocked 333,000 developer accounts that were uploading malware, fraudulent apps, or repeatedly breaking the rules.
For comparison, in 2022, Google blocked nearly 1.5 million dangerous apps and suspended 173,000 developer accounts for serious violations.
Stricter Controls and Security Measures
Additionally, almost 200,000 apps that attempted to enter the Play Store were either rejected or sent back for corrections because they requested access to potentially dangerous permissions—such as SMS messages or background location data—without a valid reason.
All these efforts are part of Google’s SAFE principles, which the company defines as:
- Safeguard Users
- Advocate for Developer Protection
- Foster Responsible Innovation
- Evolve Platform Defenses
According to Google, the following recently introduced security initiatives contributed to these results:
- Stricter developer registration and identity verification processes
- Independent security reviews and special badges for VPN apps
- Real-time scanning to prevent the launch of malicious software
- Strengthened firmware to make SoC-level vulnerabilities harder to exploit
- Expansion of the SDK index (now covering 6 million apps) to help developers choose safe SDKs for their projects
Collaboration with SDK Providers
Google is also working with 31 SDK providers to ensure that apps using these SDKs collect only the minimum amount of sensitive information from user devices. According to the company, this initiative now covers 790,000 apps available on the Google Play Store.