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Google Cleans Up: Number Of Apps In The Play Store Reduced By Almost Half
Google has apparently carried out a massive spring clean in the Play Store over the past 12 months. According to data from app intelligence provider Appfigures, Google's app marketplace has lost 47% of its apps since the beginning of 2024. A year ago, the Play Store still had around 3.4 million apps on offer – Now there are just 1.8 million.
Play Store clean-up: Google wants more qualityAccording to Appfigures, the decline in the number of apps on offer is not part of a larger global trend. In the same period, the number of applications in Apple's App Store for iOS increased slightly from 1.6 million to 1.64 million. But Apple has also carried out a clean-up operation: In February 2025, the iPhone manufacturer removed a comparatively manageable number of 137,000 apps from its app offering.
The background to the clean-up campaign is likely to be Google's increase in the minimum quality requirements for apps in the Play Store, which the company announced in July 2024. The new quality offensive is not only intended to remove apps from the Play Store that crash, cannot be installed or do not run properly. The company also banned apps that offer "limited functionality and content".
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Play Store: Google blocks spam apps
These include static apps without advanced functions such as PDF viewers. Apps that only offered a single background image, for example, were also kicked out. Apps without any functions that could be tests or other developer gimmicks are also undesirable.
Google confirmed to TechCrunch that the new guidelines play a role in the reduction of the app offering. The company added that "expanded verification requirements, mandatory app testing for new personal developer accounts, and enhanced human reviews to identify apps that attempt to deceive or scam users" were also used in the cleanup.
2.4 million "bad apps"Google also pointed out that the company was able to prevent the publication of 2.36 million apps that violated its guidelines or were harmful in 2024. Google also blocked more than 158,000 developer accounts that had attempted to publish harmful apps.
Google's reduction in the number of apps on offer could provide some relief for owners of Android devices. This is because the Play Store offers both legitimate and high-quality apps, as well as fraudulent and otherwise low-quality applications. Developers should also benefit from the approximate halving of the app offering, as their apps may now be easier to find.
(afl)
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This article was originally published in German. It was translated with technical assistance and editorially reviewed before publication.
Millions Of Android Apps Have Disappeared From The Play Store This Year, And For Good Reason
Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
TL;DR
If you feel like the Google Play Store looks a little less crowded these days, you are not imagining it. A major cleanup over the past year has cut nearly half the apps from the Android marketplace, according to new data shared by app intelligence firm Appfigures. (h/t: TechCrunch)
At the start of 2024, Google Play hosted roughly 3.4 million apps worldwide. Fast forward to today, and that number has dropped to about 1.8 million, representing a 47% decline. Appfigures pointed out that this isn't part of a broader industry trend, either. Apple's App Store, for instance, saw a slight uptick in apps during the same period, growing from 1.6 million to 1.64 million apps.
So what's behind the shrinking Play Store? It all goes back to July 2024, when Google decided to tighten its policies around app quality. Back then, Google announced it would start banning not just broken apps that crashed or refused to open, but also apps that offered "limited functionality and content." That meant clearing out static apps with no real features, apps that simply displayed a PDF file, apps that offered only a single wallpaper, and apps that didn't seem to do anything at all.
For years, Google's lighter app review process, often relying on automated checks and malware scans instead of hands-on human review, led to the Play Store being flooded with low-quality apps. Meanwhile, Apple has long enforced more stringent standards before allowing apps onto its platform. By raising the bar, Google aims to make it easier for users to find high-quality apps without having to wade through scams, spam, or abandoned projects.
Speaking to TechCrunch, Google confirmed that the tougher rules, along with stricter developer verification, mandatory testing for new accounts, and expanded human reviews, played a big role in the sharp decline. The company also pointed to broader efforts made in 2024, including AI tools for threat detection, stronger privacy protections, and upgraded developer tools.
All these measures seem to be paying off. Google says it blocked 2.36 million apps that violated Play Store policies before they even launched, and banned over 158,000 developer accounts linked to harmful behavior.
There are a few other factors at play as well. This February, a new rule from the European Union forced developers to publicly list their names and addresses in app listings, or risk being delisted across EU markets. However, Apple faced the same requirement and still managed to grow its app catalog, suggesting that Google's internal cleanup had a far greater impact.
Interestingly, Appfigures noted that the Play Store's app count had already started declining before the official crackdown last summer, although it remains unclear why. Even so, there are signs that Android app development remains healthy: 10,400 new apps have already launched on the Play Store this year, up 7.1% compared to the same time last year.
Fewer apps might sound worrying at first glance, but for Android users and developers, it could actually mean a better Play Store experience. With less spam and clutter to navigate, finding quality apps might finally get a little easier.
Got a tip? Talk to us! Email our staff at news@androidauthority.Com. You can stay anonymous or get credit for the info, it's your choice.Google Play Sees 47% Decline In Apps Since Start Of Last Year
Google Play's app marketplace is losing apps.
From the start of 2024 to the present, the Android app marketplace went from hosting about 3.4 million apps worldwide to just around 1.8 million, according to a new analysis by app intelligence provider Appfigures. That's a decline of about 47%, representing a significant purge of the apps that have been available to Android users globally.
The decline is not part of some larger global trend, the firm also notes. During the same period, Apple's iOS App Store went from hosting 1.6 million apps to now just around 1.64 million apps, for instance — a slight increase.
In Google's case, the decline in apps could be a relief for Android device owners who have had to sort through scammy, spammy, and otherwise poor-quality apps to find the best ones to install. The reduction could also help developers who have had to fight for visibility.
Over the years, Google Play's less stringent requirements for app review have led to the marketplace being overrun with lower-quality apps. While Apple continues to enforce strict app review measures before publication, Google often relies on automated checks combined with malware scans to speed up the app-review process. It tends to have a shorter app-review period as a result of its lighter touch in terms of human review.
In July 2024, Google announced it would raise the minimum quality requirements for apps, which may have impacted the number of available Play Store app listings.
Instead of only banning broken apps that crashed, wouldn't install, or run properly, the company said it would begin banning apps that demonstrated "limited functionality and content." That included static apps without app-specific features, such as text-only apps or PDF-file apps. It also included apps that provided little content, like those that only offered a single wallpaper. Additionally, Google banned apps that were designed to do nothing or have no function, which may have been tests or other abandoned developer efforts.
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BOOK NOWReached for comment, Google confirmed that its new policies were factors here, which also included an expanded set of verification requirements, required app testing for new personal developer accounts, and expanded human reviews to check for apps that try to deceive or defraud users.
In addition, the company pointed to other 2024 investments in AI for threat detection, stronger privacy policies, improved developer tools, and more. As a result, Google prevented 2.36 million policy-violating apps from being published on its Play Store and banned more than 158,000 developer accounts that had attempted to publish harmful apps, it said.
One factor Google didn't cite was the new trader status rule enforced by the EU as of this February, which began requiring developers to share their names and addresses in the app's listing. Those who failed to do so would see their apps removed from EU app stores. (It's worth pointing out that Apple also began requiring trader status information in February and did not see a decline in available apps as a result.)
Appfigures additionally notes it began seeing a decline in the number of apps on the Google Play Store even before the official start of the purge last summer; it doesn't yet have an explanation for this change. However, the firm says there have been 10,400 releases on Google Play so far this year, up 7.1% year-over-year as of April.
Sarah has worked as a reporter for TechCrunch since August 2011. She joined the company after having previously spent over three years at ReadWriteWeb. Prior to her work as a reporter, Sarah worked in I.T. Across a number of industries, including banking, retail and software.
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