Google Play Store Shrinks 47% as App Quality Standards Rise

Discover why Google Play apps dropped 47% in 2025 and how stricter app policies are reshaping the Android app marketplace for users and developers.
Matilda
Google Play Store Shrinks 47% as App Quality Standards Rise
Google Play Store Sees 47% Drop in Apps Amid Stricter Quality Rules Wondering why the Google Play Store is losing apps so rapidly? Searches like "why are apps disappearing from Google Play," "Google Play app removal 2025," and "Google Play Store quality updates" are trending—and for good reason. Since the start of 2024, Google's Android app marketplace has seen a dramatic 47% decrease in available apps, dropping from around 3.4 million to just 1.8 million worldwide. According to app intelligence platform Appfigures, this sharp decline is not reflective of a broader market trend, as Apple's App Store, by comparison, saw a slight increase during the same period.                 Image Credits:KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP / Getty Images Unlike Apple, which consistently enforces rigorous app review processes, Google Play historically took a more relaxed approach—favoring speed through automated checks rather than extensive human reviews. However, that era is en…