Google deletes over 1.1 million policy-violating apps from playstore in H1, 2022

This follows the successful removal of almost 190,000 developer accounts in 2021 with the termination of approximately 500,000 inactive or abandoned developer accounts by Google.

The removal of over one million apps from the Google Play Store in the first half of 2022 is the second-largest decrease since 2018.

This recent action by Google will signal a sharp drop in the number of apps featured on Play Store as the company has witnessed a surge in revenue and number of downloads over the years.

Data from The Statista and App Figures reveals that about 3.1 million apps were featured on Play Store in 2020 and by mid-2021, the figure rose to 3.8 million and continued rising.

Playstore featured about 4.7 million apps by December 2021, a figure which represents the highest number of apps on Play Store to date.

The recent move comes amid calls by quality regulators for Google to ensure the quality and trustworthiness of the apps within its app market.

For instance, the Nigerian government through The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), has been in a running battle with loan sharks who have continuously exploited citizens who collect loans from them.

The FCCPC had recently charged Google to axe some of the loan sharks who operate via apps on Play Store citing the use of unethical, obnoxious, and unscrupulously exploitative practices in the industry.

Google had since enacted a series of policies to regulate app developers and this had manifested in the recent action where over a million low-quality and policy-violating apps have been removed from Play Store periodically.