Google Play Store Sees Massive App Purge: A Necessary Evil?
2025-04-30
The number of apps on the Google Play Store has plummeted from approximately 3.4 million at the start of 2024 to around 1.8 million today, a nearly 50% decrease. This isn't a global trend; Apple's App Store saw a slight increase. Google attributes the decline to stricter app quality standards implemented in July, targeting low-quality, scammy apps. They've also invested in AI threat detection, stronger privacy policies, and developer tools, banning numerous policy-violating apps and developer accounts. While the EU's new trader status rules may have played a role, the decline began before their implementation. Despite the reduction, new app releases on Google Play are still up year-over-year.
Tech
App Purge