Google Red Flagged 14.3 Lakh Apps, Banned 1.73 Lakh Accounts; Here's Why

GOOGLE, in its attempt to keep Google Play a safe and secure marketplace, constantly restricts apps that violate its terms of use. Play Protect is one of Google's arsenal against such shady apps. And the search giant, in its protection pursuit, prevented 1.43 million apps that violated its policy terms from appearing on Google Play in 2022, Google said in a blog.

It also blocked 1,73,000 bad accounts and stopped over $2 billion in "fraudulent and abusive" monetary exchanges last year. To enhance its security commitment, the tech giant said developers can now enter the Play ecosystem with email, phone and more identity validation methods that helped restrict accounts from publishing violative apps.

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Additionally, Google prevented 500,000 submitted apps from sneaking into unnecessary sensitive permissions in the last three years.

Developers fixed issues

Last year, the App Security Improvements program allowed developers to diagnose and fix 500K security loopholes that affected 300K applications. The apps in question had nearly 250 billion downloads. For an improved experience, the Helpline pilot allows developers to access phone support directly.

Google Play and new Android

"In addition to the Google Play features and policies that are central to providing a safe experience for users, each Android OS update brings privacy, security, and user experience improvements," Google said in the blog. The California-based giant collaborates with developers to ensure compatibility with upcoming Android versions.

Ads and Transparency Guides

Additionally, the tech giant is working to tackle "fraudulent and malicious ads" on Play. Google launched the Data safety section in 2022. It allows the user clarity on data collection, sharing and protection. The section will be enhanced with developers' aid in future.

Updates for Pixel users

The new security and privacy settings are already live for Google Pixel users that run on the latest Android 13. Further, Private Computer Core lets Pixel devices detect harmful apps while maintaining the privacy of the user.

Meanwhile, moving to other updates, Google is gearing up to host the I/O event on May 10 this year. We could witness the launch of the Google Pixel 7a and Pixel Fold in the event.