Google blocked 2.36 million risky Android apps from Play Store in 2024

Google reports that in 2024 it blocked 2.3 million risky Android app submissions and banned 158,000 developer accounts, with 92% of harmful app reviews AI-assisted; Play Protect scanned over 200 billion apps daily, detecting 13 million malicious apps outside Google Play, while strengthened permissions controls, expanded trusted SDKs, and wider use of the Play Integrity API reduced abuse. The untrusted APK blocking program expanded to several countries, stopping 36 million installation attempts of 200,000 unique apps, and users are advised to install only from reputable sources, minimize app counts, review permissions, and keep Play Protect enabled.