Google Play Store looks a lot cleaner this year, and that’s because Google has removed millions of apps. In early 2024, the Play Store had about 3.4 million apps. Now, it has dropped to around 1.8 million. That means nearly half of the apps are gone.
But why did Google remove millions of apps from the Play Store? In July 2024, the company started a big cleanup to improve the quality of apps. Google wanted to remove apps that didn’t work well or didn’t offer anything useful. Many of the deleted apps were simple or low-quality, like apps that only showed one picture, displayed a PDF, or did nothing at all.
For a long time, the Play Store allowed almost any app, using mostly automated checks. That made it easy for spammy or fake apps to appear. But now, Google is using better tools and more human reviewers to catch bad apps before they reach users.
According to Google (via TechCrunch), over 2.36 million policy-violating apps were blocked before they even launched. Also, more than 158,000 developer accounts were banned for breaking the rules.
Another reason some apps disappeared is a new rule in Europe that developers must now show their name and address on their app pages. But this rule also applies to Apple, and its App Store still grew slightly, so it seems Google’s cleanup had a bigger effect.
Even with fewer apps, Android development is still strong. Over 10,000 new apps have been added in 2025 so far, which is more than this time last year. With a focus on better quality, finding useful and safe apps on the Play Store is now easier.
Galaxy S25, S25+, and S25 Ultra get April 2025 Google Play System update
The post Google Play Store removes millions of apps to improve quality appeared first on Sammy Fans.
