Google prevented 2.28 million policy-violating apps from being published on Google Play in 2023 due to new and improved security features, policy updates, and machine learning and app review processes.
SAFE principles
The company leverages its SAFE principles to provide the framework that creates that experience for users and developers, including safeguarding users, advocating developer protection, fostering responsible innovation, and evolving platform defenses.
Google now requires more identity information from developers to strengthen its onboarding and review processes for developers. Through enhanced review tooling and processes, Google identified bad actors and fraud rings, and banned 333K bad accounts with confirmed malware and repeated severe policy violations.
Improvements for safety
Google introduced new measures to continue to ensure the safety of Google Play users. The company rejected or remediated almost 200K app submissions to ensure proper use of background location, SMS access, and other sensitive permissions.
Through its partnership with SDK providers sensitive data access and sharing are limited to strengthen privacy of more than 31 SDKs impacting 790K+ apps.
Google expanded the Google Play SDK Index to cover SDKs used in almost 6 million apps for Android users to help developers make better SDK choices, boost app quality, and minimise integration risks.