Since the start of 2024, Google’s Play Store has seen a dramatic reduction in its available apps, declining by nearly 47%. According to a recent report from app intelligence firm Appfigures, the Android app marketplace dropped from roughly 3.4 million global listings to approximately 1.8 million apps today. This sharp contraction marks a significant change in the Android ecosystem, reflecting Google’s ongoing effort to address quality concerns and improve user experience.
Curiously, this decline does not align with any broad industry trends. Within the same timeframe, Apple’s App Store reported a marginal increase, growing from about 1.6 million apps to 1.64 million. Google’s sharp drop appears tied directly to its own policy shifts and enhanced enforcement measures.
Historically, the Google Play Store has suffered criticism for looser controls and less rigorous review processes compared to Apple’s platform, with automated detection often substituted for more in-depth human oversight. This approach created an environment conducive to spammy, low-quality apps cluttering search results and making visibility difficult for genuinely functional offerings.
Google announced stricter app-quality requirements in July 2024, a move that significantly impacted app availability. Under new policies, Google expanded beyond simple technical tests, instituting bans on apps with inadequate functionality or limited content, such as static, text-only, or single-purpose apps with marginal value, like those offering just a single wallpaper. It also started removing useless or inactive apps, likely abandoned by developers or created solely as test versions.
Google specifically acknowledged these new guidelines as primary factors behind its shrinking app inventory. The company explained it introduced more thorough verification processes, mandatory testing for new developers, and increased human review aimed at preventing deceptive or fraudulent apps from reaching the market. Enhanced AI-driven threat detection tools, stronger privacy protections, and better developer resources also played roles. As a result of these comprehensive measures, Google stated that it blocked approximately 2.36 million noncompliant apps during 2024 alone, permanently suspending more than 158,000 developer accounts that attempted to publish malicious applications.
Another possible factor not directly cited by Google might be an EU regulation put into effect in February 2024. The regulation required developers to publicly disclose trader status details—including their names and physical addresses—on their app listings or face removal. While this policy also applies to Apple’s store, there has not yet been any notable impact on the available app number there.
Appfigures additionally pointed out that the downward trend in Play Store app numbers began even earlier than Google’s summer announcement of tighter standards, although the reasons for the early decline remain unclear. Interestingly, despite the broader drop in total listings, Google Play has seen roughly 10,400 new app releases this year, representing a 7.1% year-over-year increase as of this April.
