February 21, 2026 — Mountain View, CA — Fewer malicious apps are making it onto Google Play, the company reported Thursday, attributing the decline to increased investments in proactive security measures and AI technology.

In its latest Android App Ecosystem Safety Report, Google revealed that it prevented 1.75 million policy-violating apps from being published in 2025, down from 2.36 million in 2024 and 2.28 million in 2023.

The report highlights the company’s efforts to protect users from malware, financial fraud, privacy violations, sneaky subscriptions, and other threats. Google also banned over 80,000 developer accounts in 2025 for attempting to publish harmful apps, a sharp decline from 158,000 in 2024 and 333,000 in 2023.

AI-Powered Protections Making an Impact

Google credited its AI-driven, multi-layered security systems for both detecting malicious apps and deterring bad actors. “Initiatives like developer verification, mandatory pre-review checks, and testing requirements have raised the bar for the Google Play ecosystem, significantly reducing the paths for bad actors to enter,” the company said in a blog post.

The company runs over 10,000 safety checks on every app before publication and continues monitoring apps afterward. Google has integrated its latest generative AI models into the review process, allowing human reviewers to detect complex malicious patterns faster. The company plans to further expand its AI investments in 2026 to stay ahead of emerging threats.

Data Privacy and Spam Protection

Google reported preventing 255,000 apps from gaining excessive access to sensitive user data, a drop from 1.3 million in 2024. It also blocked 160 million spam ratings and reviews, helping prevent targeted “review bombing” that could artificially lower app ratings.

Meanwhile, Google Play Protect, Android’s defense system, identified 27 million new malicious apps, warning users or blocking their execution. This compares to 13 million non-Play Store apps flagged in 2024 and five million in 2023, suggesting that malicious developers are increasingly bypassing the Play Store when targeting users.

The report underscores Google’s ongoing commitment to safeguarding the Play ecosystem while highlighting the growing role of AI in real-time app security.