The total apps on Google Play dropped by almost half in a year, and that's good news
The total number of apps on the Google Play store has dropped by almost half in the last year, and that's actually good news for Android users.
According to app analytics firm Appfigures (via TechCrunch), apps hosted on Google Play have decreased from 3.4 million to 1.8 million since the start of 2024, which is roughly a 47 percent drop. However, the decline in apps is most likely the result of Google cracking down on scam and spam apps. Google confirmed to TechCrunch that its "new policies were factors" in the drop off.
In short, Google is saying good riddance to bad apps.
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Google Play was considered the easier marketplace for app approval compared to Apple's App Store, which is famously thorough about its approval process. In the past, Google Play has taken a more lax approach, relying more on automated systems to review apps and having a shorter review period than the App Store.
But as of August 2024, Google started enforcing stricter app requirements. The updated policy targeted low-quality apps, specifically "static" apps with limited functionality, as well as apps that "crash, force close, freeze, or otherwise function abnormally." Last year, Google's security blog reported the company took action against 2.36 million apps that violated its Google Play policies and banned more than 158,000 "bad developer accounts that attempted to publish harmful apps."
For Android users, this should hopefully mean a better Google Play Store experience, with fewer spammy apps.
Cecily is a tech reporter at Mashable who covers AI, Apple, and emerging tech trends. Before getting her master's degree at Columbia Journalism School, she spent several years working with startups and social impact businesses for Unreasonable Group and B Lab. Before that, she co-founded a startup consulting business for emerging entrepreneurial hubs in South America, Europe, and Asia. You can find her on X at @cecily_mauran.
