AI-powered defenses help Google shield Android users from malicious apps

Recap: Google recently published its Android ecosystem security overview for 2025, revealing that it used AI extensively to block millions of potentially malicious apps before they could reach the Play Store. The company also strengthened its machine learning defenses to identify and blacklist tens of thousands of developer accounts for alleged policy violations.

According to Vijaya Kaza, Google's VP of app and ecosystem trust, the company rejected more than 1.75 million potentially harmful apps during the review process and blocked over 80,000 developer accounts for various policy violations. Both figures are significantly lower than in 2024, when 2.36 million apps were rejected and 158,000 developer accounts were blocked.

In addition to the blocked apps, Google's Play Protect anti-malware service reportedly prevented 255,000 Play Store apps from accessing sensitive user data after failing to meet the company's policy requirements. Google did not disclose ...