Last year saw a decline in malware distribution and attacks targeting Google Play Store, Google's official application marketplace. Google said it was the result of proactive investment in security.
In its report released on the 20th, "2025 Google Play and Android app ecosystem," Google said it preemptively blocked the registration of 1.75 million apps on Google Play that violated policies last year. That is down from 2.36 million in 2024 and 2.28 million in 2023.
It also blocked 80,000 developer accounts that tried to register such malicious apps. That likewise fell compared with 158,000 in 2024 and 333,000 in 2023.
In the report, Google said, "Last year we focused on blocking harmful apps including malware, financial fraud, hidden subscription charges, and infringements of personal information," and added, "As malicious actors use AI to change their tactics and attempt increasingly sophisticated attacks, we further strengthened investments in AI and real-time defense systems last year."
The company assessed that such investments helped respond to threats. Google explained, "Measures such as developer identity verification, mandatory pre-review, and testing requirements raised the bar for the Google Play ecosystem and greatly reduced the pathways for malicious actors to enter," and "AI-based multilayered protection systems contributed to deterring attempts to publish malicious apps."
Google Play Protect, Android's built-in defense system, was also strengthened. Google Play Protect checks more than 350 billion Android apps daily through real-time scanning, and last year alone identified more than 27 million new malicious apps that came from outside. That is a sharp increase compared with 13 million in 2024 and 5 million in 2023. This suggests that threat actors are increasingly trying to bypass Play Store and distribute malicious apps directly to users.
Google said, "This year we will continue to invest in AI-based defense systems to respond to new threats and support Android developers in equipping themselves with the tools needed to build apps safely."