Google went to appeals court Monday in an attempt to convince a three-judge panel to overturn a jury's verdict declaring its app store for Android smartphones as an illegal monopoly and block the penalties imposed by a federal judge to stop the misbehavior.

Sometimes we forget just how many people out there are looking to steal something from us. Sometimes they steal stuff we don't even realise is valuable

Google blocked an unprecedented 2.36 million app submissions to the Play Store in 2024. These apps were found to violate Google’s security policies, potentially posing risks to Android users worldwide. Google also banned 158,000 developer accounts linked to the distribution of harmful software, including malware and spyware.

AI became a hot topic. Its influence even bled into the Google Play security division, which used AI in 92% of app security reviews.

Before we explore what the Play Store needs to copy from the App Store, let's discuss what it shouldn't. If there's one major way Google can differentiate its app store from Apple's, it's how you discover new apps and games. Right now, the Play Store is so difficult to use that it's easy to completely miss exciting new apps and games.

Google has confirmed it has blocked more than 2.3 million apps as it publishes a new Android and Google Play security update—what you need to know.

Google has broken down how it protected Android users in 2024 by blocking apps, banning developers and adding enhanced security.