Hundreds of thousands of apps had been rejected from Google Play in 2024, and for good motive

Google is strict in regards to the safety of its Play Store, and in 2024, it blocked extra malicious Android apps than ever that violated its insurance policies and posed safety dangers.

In a latest security blog post, Google detailed how its AI-powered risk detection instruments helped stop 2.36 million dangerous apps from being revealed on the Play Retailer, a rise from 2023’s 2.28 million and 2022’s 1.5 million. Google additionally blocked 158,000 builders who tried to publish dangerous apps. It isn’t simply AI doing all of the work, both — people are nonetheless concerned.

“At this time, over 92% of our human critiques for dangerous apps are AI-assisted, permitting us to take faster and extra correct motion to assist stop dangerous apps from changing into obtainable on Google Play,” Google mentioned in a blog post. “That’s enabled us to cease extra dangerous apps than ever from reaching customers by way of the Play Retailer, defending customers from dangerous or malicious apps earlier than they’ll trigger any injury.”

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Google is taking extra steps to guard delicate information

The tech big can also be mechanically revoking app permissions from dangerous apps

Google / Pocket-lint

Google additionally outlined how it’s working with builders to scale back the quantity of delicate information apps must entry. The tech big mentioned that in 2024, it prevented 1.3 million apps “from getting extreme, pointless entry to delicate person information.” Usually, an app that requests overly demanding person information permissions is a purple flag to Google.

Google’s Play Defend service now mechanically revokes permissions from Android apps that doubtlessly pose a risk additionally. This implies Play Defend might reduce off an app’s permissions to entry delicate information like your storage and photographs. Customers can restore the permissions in the event that they suppose the app is secure.

Google additionally lately added badges to particular apps like VPNs and official authorities companies. If you are going to obtain an app out of your native authorities, it must be marked with a authorities badge that reads, “Play Verified this app is affiliated with a authorities entity.” The identical goes for VPNs, which now have a “Verified” badge to point it’s secure to make use of. Google is taking many steps to guard Android customers, and based mostly on the numbers it introduced in its report and its actions, it’s paying off.

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