Sophie Blake
Google intensified its security measures in 2024 to safeguard the Android ecosystem, blocking more than 2.36 million policy-violating apps and banning 158,000 developer accounts. The company also restricted 1.3 million apps from accessing sensitive user data and enhanced its scanning technology to detect potentially harmful applications.
According to Google’s report, the Play Protect system played a critical role in identifying and flagging 13 million new apps outside the Google Play Store. The system automatically scanned apps on Android devices, including sideloaded applications, and blocked 36 million dangerous installations. This effort was part of a pilot project implemented across nine countries, including India, Brazil, and South Africa, to combat the rise of unauthorized app installations exploiting sensitive permissions.
In addition to app scanning, Google introduced measures to protect users during calls, disabling Play Protect toggles to prevent scammers from bypassing security systems through social engineering attacks. The company also invested in AI-driven threat detection, automating 92% of human reviews for harmful apps and streamlining processes for developers with a history of policy compliance.
Developers were urged to adopt Android’s latest security capabilities, and over 91% of Play Store app installs reportedly used Android 13 or newer security protections. Google also updated its data handling requirements, including a new “Data Deletion” feature, allowing users to manage and delete data collected by third-party apps.
Despite these efforts, reports of malware and malicious apps persist. Users are encouraged to remain cautious, particularly when installing apps from third-party sources. Google’s multi-layered protections, including the Play Integrity API, aim to minimize fraud, bots, and data theft, but vigilance remains key in protecting personal information.
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