Google Uses AI to Shut Down Malware on the Play Store in 2025
Google has released its annual Android security report for 2025, highlighting major progress in protecting users from malicious apps. According to the company, AI-driven systems blocked more than 1.75 million harmful apps before they reached the Google Play Store.
This number dropped from over two million in previous years. The decline suggests attackers now find it harder to bypass Google’s defenses.
Multi-Layer Defense Makes a Real Difference
Google credits its success to a multi-layer security model. This system combines automated AI checks with human review teams. Every submitted app now goes through more than 10,000 security tests.
In addition, Google continues scanning apps even after release. This step prevents developers from pushing malicious updates later.
AI and Humans Working Together
The company says its latest Generative AI models play a key role. These systems analyze complex code patterns faster and more accurately than before.
Human reviewers still remain part of the process. Together, AI and people catch threats that either side might miss alone.
Developer Accounts and Privacy Protection
Beyond blocking apps, Google shut down over 80,000 developer accounts in 2025. These accounts showed suspicious behavior or policy violations. This figure dropped sharply from 2024, showing tighter entry controls work.
Google also stopped 255,000 apps from accessing sensitive user data without valid reasons. At the same time, the company blocked 160 million fake reviews and ratings. This move protects legitimate apps from review bombing.
The Rising Threat Outside the Play Store
While Play Store security improved, threats outside it increased. Google Play Protect detected 27 million malicious apps from sideloading sources. That number doubled compared to 2024.
Attackers now rely more on links, fake websites, and third-party stores. To counter this, Google expanded real-time fraud protection to 185 markets. These protections now cover over 2.8 billion Android devices worldwide.
What Google Plans for 2026
Looking ahead, Google plans to invest even more in AI security. The focus will shift toward predicting threats before they appear. The goal is a system that responds automatically and intelligently.
With these efforts, Google aims to keep Android one of the most trusted platforms globally.
