Google rejected nearly two million Android apps and blocked more than 80,000 developer accounts from Google Play in 2025

News
By published

That's less than previous years, but still a worryingly high number

Android phone malware
Malware kan ställa till med oreda (Image credit: Shutterstock)
  • Google says it blocked 1.75m apps and 80,000 bad developer accounts in 2025
  • Play Protect scanned 350bn apps daily, flagging 27m malicious apps outside Play Store
  • GenAI models boosted app review process, finding complex malicious patterns faster

Google has revealed it rejected 1.75 million apps from the Play Store for violating its policies in 2025, as well as banning more than 80,000 “bad developer accounts” whichsought to publish harmful apps, and blocked 255,000 apps from gaining access to sensitive user data.

In its annual review of Android and Google Play security, the company said initiatives like developer verification, mandatory pre-review checks, and testing requirements “significantly reduced” the paths for bad actors to enter, and have “raised the bar” for the Google Play ecosystem.

Throughout 2025, Google Play ran more than 10,000 safety checks on every app that was published, and these safety checks continue even after the apps get published.

Blocking spam ratings and reviews

Going with the trends, Google also said it integrated the latest Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) models into its review process, but kept humans onboard, who can now find complex malicious patterns faster.

“Our commitment to privacy-forward app development, supported by tools like Play Policy Insights in Android Studio and Data safety section, has empowered developers to continue to minimize privacy-sensitive permission requests, and prioritize the user in their design choices,” Google said.

The company also worked on blocking spam ratings and reviews, and its anti-spam protections blocked 160 million spam ratings and reviews last year (including inflated and deflated reviews). Average 0.5-star rating drops for apps targeted by review bombing were also prevented.

Finally, Google said Play Protect, its built-in Android anti-malware solution, now scans more than 350 billion Android apps every day. In 2025, the tool identified more than 27 million new malicious apps from outside the Google Play ecosystem, and warned users about them.

Looking ahead, Google said it will continue investing in AI-driven defenses, and will roll out Android developer verifications to “hold bad actors accountable” and prevent them from hiding behind anonymity.

Best antivirus software header
The best antivirus for all budgets

➡️ Read our full guide to the best antivirus
1. Best overall:
Bitdefender Total Security
2. Best for families:
Norton 360 with LifeLock
3. Best for mobile:
McAfee Mobile Security

Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!

And of course you can also follow TechRadar on TikTok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form, and get regular updates from us on WhatsApp too.

Sead Fadilpašić

Sead is a seasoned freelance journalist based in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. He writes about IT (cloud, IoT, 5G, VPN) and cybersecurity (ransomware, data breaches, laws and regulations). In his career, spanning more than a decade, he’s written for numerous media outlets, including Al Jazeera Balkans. He’s also held several modules on content writing for Represent Communications.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.