Google Play sees 47% decline in apps since start of last year

Google Play’s app marketplace is losing apps. From the start of 2024 to the present, the Android app marketplace went from hosting about 3.4 million apps worldwide to just around 1.8 million, according to a new analysis by app intelligence provider Appfigures. That’s a decline of about 47%, representing a significant purge of the apps that have been available to Android users globally. The decline is not part of some larger global trend, the firm also notes. During the same period, Apple’s iOS App Store went from hosting 1.6 million apps to now just around 1.64 million apps, for instance — a slight increase. In Google’s case, the decline in apps could be a relief for Android device owners who have had to sort through scammy, spammy, and otherwise poor-quality apps to find the best ones to install. The reduction could also help developers who have had to fight for visibility. Over the years, Google Play’s less stringent requirements for app review have led to the marketplace being o ... Read full article.