Google Blocked Over 2 Mn Apps From Play Store In 2023

Google has ramped up its efforts to secure its Play Store, blocking 2.28 million apps from being published in 2023 due to policy violations. 

It is a significant increase from the 1.43 million apps rejected in 2022. The tech giant has also implemented measures to curb the activities of malicious actors, resulting in the ban of 3.33 lakh "bad accounts" implicated in violations and malware activities.

In an attempt to tighten security, Google has overhauled its developer onboarding processes. New protocols demand that developers provide more comprehensive identity information at the outset of setting up their Play accounts. This step is aimed at deterring fraudulent entries and maintaining a secure app environment.

The company has also taken measures against apps that misuse sensitive permissions such as background location or SMS access. In 2023 alone, more than two lakh app submissions were either rejected or needed amendments to comply with Google's privacy standards. 

Additionally, Google has withdrawn access to 15 lakh services that failed to meet the latest application programming interfaces (APIs) standards for users who updated their devices to the latest Android version.

Enhancing its oversight of software development kits (SDKs), Google worked closely with SDK providers to restrict sensitive data access and improve privacy safeguards. The expansion of the Google Play SDK Index now assists developers in making prudent SDK choices by covering nearly six million apps across the Android ecosystem.