August 31, 2024, 7:23 am | Read time: 3 minutes
With 3.6 million apps, the Google Play Store was by far the largest app store in 2018. Since then, the number of available applications has significantly decreased, partly due to increased requirements for developers.
According to current data from Statista, there are now just under 2.5 million apps in the Google Play Store–and the trend is declining. The frequency of new app releases in 2024 is significantly lower than five years ago. While Google approved 141,000 new entries in March 2019, there were only 51,000 in February 2024. One reason for this massive drop is the higher requirements developers must meet to publish their projects in the Play Store. Google is even going so far as to remove existing apps that no longer meet the requirements from its store. TECHBOOK explains which apps are affected.
Deadline for Deletion is August 31
The company has adjusted its spam and functionality policy on the developer platform Play Console:
Apps should provide a stable, responsive, and engaging user experience. Apps that crash, do not offer the basic level of appropriate utility as mobile apps, lack engaging content, or exhibit other behavior inconsistent with a functional and engaging user experience are not allowed on Google Play.
Spam and Functionality Policy for the Play Catalog, as of July 19, 2024
The deadline for implementing the new requirements for app developers is August 31. Starting in September, the company could begin deleting apps that do not comply with the adjusted guidelines, as reported by “Android Authority.”
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These Apps Could Be Removed from the Play Store
Google clearly defines in the Play Console Help which types of apps violate the policy. The company broadly distinguishes between apps that:
- Have limited functionality and content
- Have faulty functionality
Apps with Limited Functionality and Content
This refers to entries that do not provide users with real functionality or useful content. These can be static apps that, for example, only display text or a PDF file and have no other function.
Apps that only provide a single wallpaper after installation fall under the category of “limited content.” According to Google, such cases do not offer an engaging user experience. The same applies to apps that have no function at all.
Apps with Faulty Functionality
Apps that “crash, force close, freeze, or otherwise function abnormally” also violate the policy. Google provides three specific examples:
- Apps that do not install
- Apps that install but do not load
- Apps that load but do not respond
Apple Has Overtaken Google
Although Apple has always imposed significantly stricter requirements on app developers, there are now significantly more apps in the App Store than in the Play Store. In 2018, Apple was behind Google with 3.26 million apps compared to 3.6 million, but the number in the App Store has steadily increased since then–while it has rapidly declined in the Play Store (Source: Statista). Today, the app selection for the iPhone, with 4.84 million apps, is about twice as large as for Android smartphones.