Google’s security updates usually come in the form of patches fixing vulnerabilities in Chrome, new security features for Android devices, or even the arrival of a brand new web store. Sometimes, however, those updates are less physical yet more literal in nature. Such is the case with the latest Android and Google Play security ecosystem update, which has confirmed the blocking of more than 2.3 million apps. Here’s what you need to know.
Google Says It Has Blocked 2.36 Million Apps
Looking at Android and Google Play as a single ecosystem, and a massive one at that with billions of users, Google has conceded that it “attracts its share of bad actors.” That’s the bad news, and it’s not exactly a shock to anyone’s system, to be honest. The good news is that Google is fighting back by investing in AI-powered threat detection measures and more. A newly published ecosystem security update explained just how successful these defenses have been. Across 2024, Bethel Otuteye and Khawaja Shams from the Android Security and Privacy Team, and Ron Aquino from Google Play Trust and Safety, said, “We prevented 2.36 million policy-violating apps from being published on Google Play and banned more than 158,000 bad developer accounts that attempted to publish harmful apps.” There’s more good news for Google Play users, the update also said that the security teams have prevented 1.3 million apps from obtaining “excessive or unnecessary access to sensitive user data.”
Google Employs A Multi-Layered Approach To Dealing With Bad Apps
The latest Google security update revealed how the security teams use the SAFE principle as a template:
- Safeguard users—helping them to discover apps that they can trust.
- Advocate for developer protection—building platform safeguards to enable developers to focus on growth.
- Foster responsible innovation—unlocking value without compromising on user safety.
- Evolve platform defenses—staying ahead of emerging threats with the evolution of Google policies, tools and technology.
“These protections start with the developers themselves, who play a crucial role in building secure apps,” Google said, “we provide developers with best-in-class tools, best practices, and on-demand training resources for building safe, high-quality apps.”
As such, the report continued, all apps are put through a painstaking review and testing process before approval for release to the Play Store. Once there, of course, Google Play Protect kicks in for further security protection. Integrated with Android, this shields users from malicious behavior using a continuous real-time scanning process.
