News India Live, Digital Desk: Google has created a new record regarding the security of Android users. The company has stated in its latest 2025-26 security report that it blocked more than 1.75 million (17.5 lakh) apps from coming to the Play Store that were violating Google’s security policies. Along with this, 80,000 developer accounts committing fraud have been permanently banned. Why was such a big action taken? (Reasons for Purge) According to Google, these apps and developers were involved in a variety of digital crimes: Financial fraud: stealing banking details and making illegal transactions. Data theft: accessing users’ location, contacts and personal messages without their permission. Hidden subscriptions: apps that deduct money from users’ accounts without informing them. Malware and spyware: slowing down the phone and Spying in the background. AI becomes Google’s new ‘digital guard’. This time Google has used Generative AI and advanced machine learning tools along with human review. 10,000+ security checks: Now every app coming on Play Store has to go through more than 10,000 security checks before being published. Sensitive data security: With the help of AI tools, 2.55 lakh apps have been protected from sensitive data. War on Spam Review: Google has removed 160 million (16 crore) fake ratings and reviews, which were promoting bad apps by showing good ratings. Google Play Protect: Now even more powerful Google has updated Play Protect, which now scans 350 billion (350 billion) apps daily. Side loading monitored: Outside the Play Store (like browser or WhatsApp 27 million dangerous apps installed have been identified. In-Call Scam Protection: Under the new feature, no app will be able to disable ‘Play Protect’ during a call, thereby protecting against ‘social engineering’ attacks. How do you protect yourself? (Safety Tips for Users) Keep Play Protect on: Go to your phone’s Settings and make sure Google Play Protect is always active. Check permissions: When installing an app, make sure to see if the app is asking for permissions that it doesn’t need (e.g. a calculator app doesn’t need ‘contacts’ or ‘camera’). Reviews and ratings: Don’t just rely on good ratings, but also read ‘Critical reviews’. Avoid unknown sources: Never follow any link or Do not install APK files from unofficial websites.
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