## Google Play Store Purge: Nearly Half of All Apps Vanish in a Year
The Google Play Store has undergone a dramatic transformation, shedding a staggering 1.8 million apps since the beginning of last year. This represents a 47% decline from the 3.4 million apps available at the start of 2024, a figure revealed in a recent analysis by Appfigures and reported by *TechCrunch*.
According to Google spokesperson Dan Jackson, this massive cull reflects the company’s increased commitment to “delivering high-quality apps” and prioritizing “continuous improvements for user safety.”
This isn’t an overnight phenomenon. In recent years, Google has significantly ramped up its efforts to combat spam and low-quality applications. In 2023, the company implemented more stringent app review processes and began requiring developers to test their apps with at least 20 users over a two-week period. Furthermore, Google initiated a widespread purge of apps deemed to have “limited functionality and content” throughout last year. In January 2025, Google announced that it had blocked a staggering 2.36 million policy-violating apps from ever reaching the Play Store.
[Insert Image: Image from The Verge article showing Appfigures data: “The Google Play Store lost 1.8 million apps since the start of 2024. | Image: Appfigures”]
Data from Appfigures reveals the most impacted categories. Games accounted for nearly 200,000 of the removed titles, followed by education (160,700) and business (115,400). Despite the significant removals, Appfigures indicates a positive trend: app releases are up by 7.1% globally compared to the same period last year, suggesting that developers are still actively creating and submitting applications.
“Every year, we continue to invest in more ways to protect our community and fight bad actors, so users can trust the apps they download from Google Play and developers can build thriving businesses,” Jackson told *The Verge*.
While the Google Play Store has experienced a substantial reduction in app count, Apple’s App Store has seen a slight increase, growing from 1.6 million to 1.64 million apps. The contrasting trends suggest differing approaches to app management and quality control within the two leading mobile app ecosystems. It remains to be seen whether Google’s aggressive pruning will ultimately lead to a more curated and trustworthy app experience for Android users.
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