Google says its AI systems helped deter Play Store malware in 2025
Source: TechCrunch
Report Highlights
Google reports a decline in malicious app submissions to the Play Store, attributing the improvement to increased investments in proactive security systems and AI technology.
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Policy‑violating apps prevented: 1.75 million in 2025
(down from 2.36 million in 2024 and 2.28 million in 2023) – see the full Android app ecosystem safety report 2025. -
Developer accounts banned: more than 80,000 in 2025, compared with 158,000 in 2024 and 333,000 in 2023.
AI and Security Measures
Google highlights how AI‑driven, multi‑layer protections have both blocked threats and acted as a deterrent for 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’s blog post explained.
Key points:
- Over 10,000 safety checks run on every app before publication, with continuous re‑checks after release.
- Integration of the latest generative AI models into the review workflow enables human reviewers to detect complex malicious patterns more quickly.
- Google plans to increase AI investments in 2026 to stay ahead of emerging threats.
Data Protection and Spam Prevention
- Excessive data‑access apps prevented: more than 255,000 in 2025 (down from 1.3 million in 2024).
- Spam ratings and reviews blocked: 160 million in 2025.
- Review‑bombing mitigation: prevented an average 0.5‑star rating drop for targeted apps. (See more on review bombing.)
Google Play Protect Findings
Android’s built‑in defense system, Google Play Protect, identified a surge in malicious apps outside the Play Store:
- New malicious apps detected: over 27 million in 2025, up from 13 million in 2024 and 5 million in 2023.
- These apps were either warned to users or blocked from running, indicating that bad actors are increasingly targeting users via non‑Play Store distribution channels.