Google Clears Out the Play Store, Removes Over a Million Useless and Risky Apps

In a big move to tidy up the Play Store, Google has quietly removed a huge number of apps that no longer meet its standards. Over the past year, the tech giant slashed the number of apps on its platform from 3.4 million down to 1.8 million. That’s a 47% drop, and roughly 1.6 million apps either removed or blocked before they could even be downloaded.

Many of those apps were considered spammy, packed with annoying ads, or potentially dangerous. Others simply didn’t work, broken features, apps that wouldn’t even open, or those that offered little to no real value. For a long time, Google relied mostly on automated checks and malware scanning to keep the Play Store safe. But that approach wasn’t enough.

Now, Google is stepping up with stricter rules. They're not only requiring more thorough app verification, but also investing in improved human reviews and better app testing tools. Developers are being held to a higher standard, and low-quality or abandoned apps are being pushed out.

The cleanup might not catch every bad app just yet, so it’s still smart to be cautious before downloading. But this shift is a clear sign that Google wants to make the Play Store safer, less cluttered, and more useful for everyone.